Girls und Panzer Aftermath
by Hauptman
Summary: The struggle of Ooarai has finally come to an end, for Miho and her friends the great ordeal has been laid to rest. Through hope, perseverance, and camaraderie they were able to make the impossible possible. But now a new endeavor awaits them, a new challenge that must be met, a new trial that cannot be avoided, and across the distant horizon a new adversary rises.
1. A New Journey, a New Adventure!

**Author's note** : Welcome to the first chapter of my first story for the 'Girls und Panzer', a series that I've really come to adore and cherish ever since stumbling upon it by accident in late 2012, which is kind of ironic as I really didn't think much of it at first, to the point that to date it's my favorite anime series and I'm hoping that there will be more GuP goodness to be released in the coming years for us all to enjoy.

But that aside this is my giving it a go at doing a fic for this series, I expect this to be become a pretty hefty story as there is a lot for me to cover. I have so much planned for this story and with some luck there will be those of you willing to join me on this little trip.

So without any further ado, let's dig in shall we. Panzer Vor!

* * *

 **A new journey, a new adventure!**

 _Ooarai school carrier- Miho's apartment- 06.35h Saturday_

"… Morning… already…" Miho gave out a soft yawn as she rolled over before she slowly opened her eyes, outside, the warm sun rays were already coming in through the window; even with the curtains closed the room was already well lit. "… I guess… it's…"

It took her a while before she began to realize that she was actually awake, her mind only partially aware of her surroundings. "… I… have to…"

Gazing at her clock through hazy eyes, Miho could tell that she had woken up a little earlier than she needed to, but at the moment she was okay with that. It would allow her to have a good breakfast and then leave at her leisure, today she wouldn't have to worry about being late.

Rolling onto her back she began to gaze at the ceiling, it had only been a short while ago since Ooarai had managed to achieve a feat that had been deemed impossible by most people, and by doing so they had saved their school. Now a couple of weeks later Miho still wasn't yet entirely used to it herself and on several occasions, she had asked her friends to pinch her just to make sure that it wasn't all just a figment of her imagination.

It was anything but a fleeting dream, they had won the national tankery tournament, defeating teams who not only had an impressive history but also many victories under their belt. However, their school's moment of victory had been short-lived, as MEXT had gone back on their promise. And by doing so the team, in a last desperate throw of the die, had chosen to accept a match that by all accounts, they should have lost, but hadn't. They had won, and in doing so, they had saved their school for real this time. She had made friends for life, and with their help and understanding, she had gained a new view on Sensha-do.

Miho had found her own way; it hadn't been easy and at times she came close to giving up, but her friends and teammates had all given her a sense of feeling at home. This school was where she belonged now; it had given her a purpose in life.

Pushing aside the blanket, Miho got up, otherwise, she might risk being late for school. The thought of seeing all of her friends again made her smile with anticipation.

Still, she couldn't rest just yet. There was no doubt in her mind that Anzu had plans, not only for her but for the team as well. There were going to be regional competitions, as well as the preparations for the nationals next year. She wasn't certain if the team could pull off a second victory again, but knowing Anzu's burning desire to keep their school open, she had no doubt that at some point she would find herself making it happen. Besides, they also needed to work hard on making sure that the future of this school would be guaranteed.

Well, those would be worries for later. Right now, she wanted to focus on her happy school days and spending time with her best friends. To be able to spend the remainder of her time at school with them, to get to have fun with them every day. That was what she truly wished for.

Thinking about her friends she began to wonder how they were doing, even if they had come to visit her yesterday since she had been struck with the mild flu following their celebration party. Missing a few days of school was unfortunate; however, there was not much she could do about it. Now that she was feeling all better, it was time to go to school with them again, and spend some time at the club as well. Miho smiled, she was already looking forward to it.

"Everybody, I'm looking forward to seeing all of you! Let's make this a beautiful day! The weather's nice, and maybe we can go out together after school," she said to herself in a soft-spoken yet still excited tone as she was looking forward to spending the afternoon with them all.

They didn't have many classes on a Saturday, so they should be finished early today. That meant they would have plenty of extra time to go out and enjoy themselves. There were just so many ways for her to spend an afternoon with her friends. They could go shopping, or perhaps go see a movie. No doubt Saori would call for them all to have dinner at Miho's place, it made her giggle with anticipation just thinking about it. She definitely needed to ask them what they preferred.

As opposed to staying on the ship that would remain docked in the harbor, maybe they could even go and visit the town itself. Apparently, this was one of those routine stops that the ship needed to maintain in order to acquire new stock and materials. Despite being able to keep its crew and citizens well supplied for an extended period of time, the ship still needed to come in every now and then to refuel and resupply. It was also a welcome period to the students as it would allow them to spend some time with their families. "Well I should get going, I can't keep the others waiting," Miho said to herself as she began making breakfast.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier- trophy room- 07.00h_

Inside the, until recently, restored trophy room, there were heartfelt and muted talks being exchanged by various people. The flag that signaled Ooarai's stunning victory in the tournament was proudly being displayed behind them, with those present being excited over their most recent victory. The principal, the staff, and members of the Ooarai's public administration and of course several other prominent members of the Sensha-do league board were also present as well for the celebrations.

"First of all, I would like to first give my congratulations to the members of Ooarai's team for their stunning victory in the National Championships, as well as for their achievement in securing this school's future! It is with great pride as chairman of the league, that I may hereby congratulate your team on such a splendid achievement!"

A round of applause went about in response, but Anzu and the other members of the student council weren't really that festive enough to join in it as well. They had already celebrated this before, and now it was just some formalities between adults that needed to be sorted. Once Anzu had gotten the notes and reports from these people, she could have Yuzu go to work in finding out to what degree their new funds could be applied to.

First off, they would need to prioritize, only then they could start with determining which resources could be allocated where. Though, of course, before any of this could happen, they would need to require the documents from the man's secretary, who still seemed to be holding on to those.

Anzu looked back and did her best to return her attention to the discussion, though it was a bit hard since she was feeling a little bored by it all. Other than the papers there wasn't any reason for her to be here, she would rather be somewhere else catching a break.

"And as such, that hereby I can present to you not only the cheque but also on behalf of the Ooarai's public administration a further funding for which you can expand your Sensha-do team with. We have great expectations of Ooarai in the coming competitions."

Momo mimicked Anzu's reaction and raised just like her an eyebrow at that last part. So, they were already planning to have the school participate in other competitions. Apparently, there was a small catch attached to them gaining the additional funds. That wasn't good, so Momo made a quick mental note to have Yuzu check every letter of those documents. The last thing they wanted right now was for their school to be held back in its revival.

The talk went on longer than Anzu could care. She honestly would much rather be in her own office right now, enjoying the sun and her cherished supply of dried sweet potatoes, and a few drinks at it than this. She was relieved when the men finally bowed and were handed the documents. Kindly offering a quick bow herself in return, when she accepted them it was only followed quickly by gesturing to both Momo and Yuzu to come with her. They had a job to do. The rest of the formalities could be handled by the adults anyway. Once the last of their guests had left the room, Anzu winked at Yuzu and told her with a slyly expression on her face, "Koyama, I've got an important job for you."

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - streets – 07.30h_

"Good morning Miporin!" Saori greeted her from across the street, as she stood there waving at her. A warm smile, which caressed the gentle features of her face, appeared at the sight of seeing her friend again. In her excitement and joy she shouted, "Over here! I'm here Miporin! Miporin!"

Standing next to her, making a gracious bow, was Hana. Miho went to greet the pair, seeing that it was alright for her to cross the street, but Saori beat the brunette to it as she lunged forward and gave her a big hug.

"Oh Miporin, I'm glad to see you! Hana-san just told me something wonderful and we have to share it with you as well!" she giggled, her face shining with a warm smile gracing her features.

Miho wasn't sure what to make of it, but if it was good news to them then she would be happy to hear it as well. Besides, if it made one of her friends so happy, then it had to be good!

"Well let's hear it then, it must be really good if you are so excited about this, Saori-san."

"It is. It is! Now that you're all better, you've got to hear this," she quickly nodded her head in return. "Oh, Miporin! You so have to hear this, it's-." Saori didn't get chance to finish her what she wanted to say, as she was stopped by the timely arrival of Yukari, who came from across the street.

"Morning everybody!" As always, she was in her usual cheerful mood. "Nishizumi-dono, I'm glad to see you back on your feet! How are you feeling today? I was planning on coming over to visit, but seeing that you're all better now mean I won't have to! I'm so looking forward to today!"

"Yukarin's right," Saori proclaimed quickly, adding to it as she heard that. "You know, we should celebrate having Miporin back with us! Why don't we all have dinner together?"

Collective sounds of agreement went around; they all considered that to be a splendid idea. Of course, they would have to inform Mako of this as well. After all, it wouldn't be right if she wasn't there as well.

"Takebe-dono, Isuzu-dono," Yukari bowed as she greeted them now as well. "Nice to see you! Can I ask though where Reizei-dono is? I haven't seen her on my way to school."

Waving her hand frantically, Saori was quick to inform them that Mako had, much to their surprise, called her yesterday on the phone to let her know she was going to be absent for a few days. It seemed she had left on a visit to her grandma. To think that she had even gotten special permission from the student council was equal, if not even more perplexing.

"But, shall we go? We're going to get late if we keep standing here," Miho offered as she gazed at her watch. It was going to be pretty tight for them to make it in time as it was.

"Midoriko-san is going to be upset if we all were to show up late for school."

The rest agreed on her suggestion, seeing as they could always talk on the way to school anyway. They weren't exactly looking forward to having to explain it to Sodoko, even if she was a member of their team she was still the head of the Public Morals Committee, it was a position that she took very serious. She could get really scary if she wanted to, and getting late was often good enough reason for her to do so.

"Then let's get going Miporin! Besides, I still need to tell you about it," Saori mentioned in excitement, beginning to walk ahead with the rest following her lead.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - class 2-C - 10.30h_

A few hours after they had arrived, just in the nick of time, at the school, and had broken up Yukari was watching as their teacher began to explain again the subject, honestly, she was already looking forward to when the class was over as then she could go to the hanger and have lunch with her friends.

They had said their farewells when they had all separated and she was certainly feeling a little hint of jealousy towards both Saori and Hana in that they were able to be in the same class as Miho, oh how much she envied the two of them for that but perhaps she would be lucky next year. To her, it felt good to see their tanks as well as it had been a few days since she last seen them, with the national competition over that meant there was going to be less pressure on them but that didn't take away her desire to ride in them.

Still, she wanted to spend more time at the sheds, right now she could well imagine that their tanks were getting a little lonely as after all they hadn't used them now in a couple of days. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have her and the others spending some of the afternoon taking their beloved panzer IV out for a ride, even it was a short one. She just needed to hear the roar of its engine, the clattering of its tracks and maybe, just maybe, have Hana shoot the main gun a couple of times.

Those thoughts certainly brought a smile to her face; oh she was already getting pumped up just by thinking of it. Then to make the day even more perfect they would be having dinner at Miho's place, that sounded even better and it would certainly make for a wonderful conclusion to this day.

With that her mind started to wander off thinking about others matters that she was feeling excited about, gradually losing any interest in the subject being explained. Feverishly she was hoping that Ooarai was also going to participate now in the regional competitions as well and of course, she was filled with the excitement of thinking about preparing for the qualifications for next year's national championship. Oh, the thought of all the teams and rare tanks being present there was already enough to make her completely forget that she was still in class.

"Akiyama-san! Please pay attention while class is in session!" The teacher called out to her, it seemed she wasn't entirely happy about Yukari's doodling off. "I'm aware of you having won in the nationals but that gives you no excuse for dozing off in my class!" A stern lecture followed as her teacher made it clear that she did not appreciate it.

Snapping up from her dream she watched at her before standing up, Yukari made a deep bow. "I'm deeply sorry Saitou-sensei," she made sure that her bow was deep enough as the teacher was right, for now, Yukari made a promise to herself to try and keep her enthusiasm in check, at least to some degree, while she was in class.

"Make sure that it doesn't happen again, it's really important that you understand the subject otherwise you're going to have trouble during the exams" With the teacher accepting her apology she sat down again and focused her attention back to the board, she could always daydream after class was over.

For all that is was worth she was really looking forward to the rest of the year, despite all of her previous hardships this school had become a place that she really loved now. With her friends who appreciated her for who she was and a club that gripped her passion, there was no place she would rather want to be. Well except maybe for being inside a tank right now.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – student council office - 12.00h_

Sitting there in her office overseeing the entirety of the school, and the soothing calm sea at that as well, Anzu was busy in doing what she enjoyed the most at times like these, chewing on some of her favorite dried sweet potatoes. Meanwhile, Yuzu kept on talking about how the upcoming changes, that were noted down in the report they had been handed were going to affect their finances. There were some considerable clauses and unless they went over them closely they risked missing some of the conditions.

"Currently we can expect more than enough funds to support all of the current clubs as well as being able to maintain the school. Even with those costs calculated in we should have a good reserve available for the next year though it's best if we give careful thought to our spending."

While their victory had bought them extra time and prevented the school from being closed for the foreseeable future she was also aware that it was only a temporary solution. That said their school was still being faced with the cause of their problem, the ever declining amount of students they got each year. That was Ooarai's real problem, which they needed to solve. They needed to come up with a solution for that and then there was one more problem that kept approaching and one they couldn't postpone any longer.

"Prez?" Yuzu stopped as she noticed it, next to her Momo waited as well. "Do you think we should tell them? It would be the polite thing to do as they'll be the ones who will have to carry on. The school is going to require more funds and far more new students if it wants to survive."

"That won't be easy," Momo interjected to that statement. "Although we've gained a lot of positive media coverage thanks to the nationals and our victory, much to the surprise of so many, it hasn't yet led to a large influx of new students we would need to secure the school's future. We still have to find a way for us to attract more future students if we want to survive."

She was right, extra students had sent in their applications for entering the school and although it was well above their quotas of previous years it was still not enough. "We also don't know to which degree our situation will improve over the course of the next year but that's something none of us will be able to see for ourselves."

Anzu sighed at hearing that. "Yeah, none of us is going be here next year, it's a shame really as I wouldn't mind seeing how they'd do. But that isn't up to us anymore."

The collective mood in the room suddenly dropped, they all understood the implications. For them the year, and thus their time at school, was gradually coming to an end, the school was not only going to lose their student council but their Sensha-do team would also lose a crew.

But that wasn't all, there were other students who would also graduate this year and their loss was likely going to be felt hard by the team.

Next year's competition was going to become a lot more troublesome, for the team captain there was going to be a big responsibility.

But with Miho in charge, Anzu was confident that the team would prevail, that she was a more than capable commander who had already proven her worth as she had been instrumental in their victory.

All that really remained was to inform her of this and allow her to prepare well in advance, as team captain there was going to be big responsibility weighing down on her shoulders. It would be crucial that she became aware of this well in advance and prepare.

"Kawashima? Could you be so kind to call for Nishizumi-chan for me and have her come to the office? It might best if we were to tell her so she can prepare for it. As captain of the team, it will be her responsibility for selecting and training the news teams," Anzu asked as she looked over her shoulder.

There was a nod from Momo as she turned around and grabbed the phone, somehow in her heart it felt painful to do but she kept up her stoic appearance. Right now it would do more damage if it was found that the student council was having trouble itself, a strong and composed leadership would help make the transition easier for all of those involved.

They all loved their school and the time they had gotten to spend here was cherished by all. Switching to the intercom she mentioned Miho's name, requesting that she would come to their office at the earliest opportunity which to her meant now.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – tank sheds – 12.15h_

"Standard Class I, 2-A, Nishizumi Miho. Standard Class I, 2-A, Nishizumi Miho. Please come to the student Council room immediately. I repeat. Please come to the student Council room immediately."

It went around the whole school premises, even in the hanger they could all hear the announcement, it did surprise them to learn that even in the hanger they had this setup but then it did make sense after all.

Craning up her neck as she heard her name being mentioned throughout the intercom Miho was puzzled as to why the student council was calling for her at a time like this.

"Miporin?" Saori asked, just as confused as she was. "Do you want us to come with you?"

Hana and Yukari were waiting as well for an answer; it seemed that if she wanted then they would all accompany her. Even before she had a chance to object Yukari was ready for it.

"Nishizumi-done, you just need to say it. We'll accompany you," boastfully Yukari claimed as she was already in the process of cleaning up her lunchbox.

"That's very kind of you all but I don't think that the president has anything planned for me. My guess is that she just wants to talk to me on how to proceed with the team, there's still a lot that we can do," Miho answered them as she politely declined their offer. "Please continue with your lunch and don't worry about me. I'll be back soon." She excused herself.

Getting off the tank with caution she gave out a short bow before leaving the hangar. Although the others were not certain if they should stay they decided in the end to respect Miho's wish. That said they were still feeling uneasy about this sudden announcement and with some reluctance they resumed with their lunch, Miho had assured them it was alright.

"Do you have any idea what the president could want of Nishizumi-dono? Could it be related to Sensha-do? Wasn't everything supposed to be fine if we were to win that match against the UST? Why did they call Nishizumi-dono?" Yukari unleashed a barrage of questions but neither Saori nor Hana could come up with a suiting answer for that, much like her they were in the dark on what it could possibly be.

"Why don't we finish our lunch first and then go and wait for her outside the office. If it's nothing then I'm certain that Miho-san will be out quickly and then we can always ask her," it was Hana making the suggestion, "She wouldn't want for us to worry about her for no reason, we should respect her wish. Also if she doesn't want to talk about happened then we shouldn't ask her any further. Let's put our trust in Miho-san."

They could all agree on that, besides Hana had made a good point. If it was something really important then surely Miho was going to discuss it with them at some point. For now, they resumed with their lunch, what came after that, they would see for themselves.

Then they were called out. "Hey, Senpai!" It sounded from across the hanger and as the trio of girls looked up they could see Azusa and the other members of rabbit team standing there next to their beloved M3.

"Senpai, can we talk to you? Senpai, there's something we want to ask you?" Waving with their hands it was clear they were pretty anxious about something. Not certain who they were referring to now the three of them watched as the girls approached. "Hello senpai," they said in unison as they bowed. Then they all turned their attention towards Yukari. "Senpai we've got a really important question for you?" Azusa was the first to speak.

Aya was the next one to ask a question almost interrupting Azusa in the process. "Senpai, it's about our tank, we want to get better at taking out other tanks. Do you have ways to help us? We need more firepower senpai."

The others started to call for help as well now. "Senpai! We need your help! You know everything about tanks! Senpai what can we do to improve our chances?"

Taken aback by this Yukari was stumbling in her effort to come up with answers, scratching the back of her head as she was wondering about some of those points herself. "W-Well the most obvious is for you to do your best at training and hone your skills in gunnery. Then you can go and study the weak spots of tanks you might face. Other than that you're limited to the performance of the gun."

Then Yuuki held up a book for them to see. "Then senpai, why do these tanks look different than ours? See their turrets are different on some and their main guns as well," she mentioned as she tapped her finger on the photo's in question and as she gazed at them Yukari could see they were right.

"Well, the different turret is because that model was built for the British, as for those photo's all of the later production models of the M3 carried a longer gun which was more powerful than the one that's mounted on yours." And then it hit her, a way to how they could help the rabbit team but the question that popped up was how they were going to find it.

"So senpai would that then be an option for us? If we were to get that gun we would become even better at taking out tanks, right? Do you know how we can get it?" They all started asking, adding to the confusion.

Saori and Hana were giggling at her. "So Yukarin, you've become very popular all of a sudden. So what will you be doing?" she teased her while Hana did her best at turning away to avoid either of them seeing her laugh. Her hand covering her mouth she smiled wryly.

For Yukari this was an odd situation, she hadn't really spent all that much time with rabbit team. She knew now how to help them but that didn't mean it was going to be easy. "Well, we'd first need to look if we can find such a gun. There are some shops we could try and see if we can order it but we'll need the part codes for it. Also, we're going to need Leopon to help if we want to get it them to install the gun in the tank."

A cry of excitement came from the girls in response as they heard that, with that, they would surely become better tank killers. "Thank you, senpai!" After that, they quickly left, dashing towards the exit as already the next class about to begin, their little conversation had taken up more of their time than they had noticed.

"Oh my, I think we should get going as well. Sensei doesn't appreciate it if we're late for class, we'll have to see how Miho-san is doing later," Hana offered as she neatly cleaned up, for now, they were going to have to wait.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier- trophy room- 12.30h_

Still somewhat confused by it all Miho found herself staring at the flag, for some reason Anzu had decided that they would keep their little discussion, not as Miho had expected it to be in her office, but rather and much to said girl's surprise in the trophy room.

However, it was the most recent addition to the trophy room that caught her attention, hanging there was an enlarged example of the photo that had been taken after their fierce battle against Alice Shimada. Leaning in closer to have a better look Miho was again reminded that it was only a week ago when the little girl had come to visit her school.

"I really would've liked it if you had stayed here with us, Alice-san. It would've been nice having you with us, training together, I've really wanted to go visit the Boko museum with you," she said to nobody in particular, not that it mattered as she was for the moment alone.

Letting her hand rest on the photo Miho whispered, "I hope that you've found what you're looking for in a high school, Alice-san, I hope you're going to meet wonderful friends there. Nothing would make me happier than knowing you did."

As Yuzu came in offering her some refreshments she waited until Anzu was going to give her an explanation, surely if they were going to keep their little meeting here than something else had to be the reason. She wasn't sure what that reason could be but she was hoping that Anzu would fill her in.

"Ah, Nishizumi-chan relax, don't look so worried," Anzu remarked as she noticed the apparently concerned look on her face when she walked into the room. "Don't worry it's nothing serious. In fact, you could say that it's really good news especially for you," she grinned before taking a bite from one of her sweet potatoes.

Nervous and uncertain Miho just kept smiling, not sure what to make of this. As was often the case she was lost as to what Anzu could be hinting at.

"The school is saved for the time being. Our finances have become a lot better now and we even have the chance to expand the team, but that said there's going to be a big change that will affect us all. That's also the reason why I had you called here."

Holding her breath Miho waited, well having the resources to expand the team was indeed good news as it would strengthen their position, still she felt confused what the big change was.

"Nishizumi-chan you're a second year, right? That means next year will also be your final year at this school after which you'll graduate, right? And your friends as well, right?"

Miho nodded in response that was true. All of them were in the second year.

"Myself, as well as Koyama and Kawashima, are third years, which means at the end of this year we'll graduate and leave this school. The same applies as well to several others students on the team such as Sodoko, Piotan-san and all members of Leopon, they will all graduate along with us."

Her eyes wide open Miho didn't know what to say, she hadn't given thought to this. It was sad to know that a good nine members of the team would be gone when this year in school ended. Two entire teams would be gone and two teams would be severely weakened.

"But what'll happen then with the team? Can it actually continue with all of you gone? Somehow it doesn't feel right to me to carry on without you, you all helped in saving this school."

Momo interrupted her. "We're aware of that but there's nothing that we can do about it. It's a heavy burden that we'll leave on your shoulders but we also feel confident that with you, the team will be in good hands. Naturally, we'll do our best to make the appropriate arrangements with the next student council to make certain that they'll cooperate with you, and to provide you with the support that we can still offer you."

Even with such a reassurance if still made Miho feel uneasy, she was going to miss them.

"We'll also need you to start looking for additional crews, training them should start soon,"

Anzu filled her in. "Now they have time to learn about the tanks from their current crews. We'll also be participating in the regional competitions which will help them gain experience, meanwhile, the current teams will help with qualifying for the preliminaries."

Startled Miho watched, apparently, for some reason, Anzu had her sights set on something big even in her final year, well that did fit with her. She smiled. "I-I'll do my best then, I won't let this school down." Standing up Miho was feeling a sense of pride washing over her knowing what responsibility was given to her but she was feeling confident. "I won't let you down, I'll do what's best for the school."

Anzu burst out laughing all of a sudden. "Oh Nishizumi-chan, don't be so tense," she chuckled much to Miho's confusion. "Please sit down. You don't have to start with this right away, next week will be fine. I'll have Koyama let students know that we'll be looking for additional members."

Yuzu nodded her head; already it seemed she was busy in making the notification though she wasn't going to finish it today, most likely it would be placed in the next few days.

"I'll also see if with our extra funds we can look at acquiring a few extra tanks, that way the new teams can already learn to operate a tank. Extra parts can also be stocked to make it easier for the students who will take over from the automotive club."

And with that the discussion went on as they started to discuss some of the finer details that they would need to take into account in the coming months, a lot of preparation had to be done as well setting up a set of guidelines to determine suitable candidates. Being this busy meant that they lost complete track of the time and by the time they noticed the sun had already started to set.

"Let's call it a day, for now, Nishizumi-chan thanks for coming today," Anzu thanked her. "We'll continue with this once we have more of the report checked, in the meantime go and enjoy yourself. You have earned it. Bye, bye."

And with that, before she could even blink with her eyes Miho was swiftly pushed out of the trophy room. "Guess I'll go back then, they'll likely be wondering where I've been all this time." Unable to go back Miho decided that it would be high time for her to return to her friends, it was well over time, class and school for that matter had ended by now. Gazing at her watch she was starting to feel a little guilty about having kept them all waiting this long. "I'll need to apologize and make it up to them." As her footsteps echoed through the hallways of the ship she noticed many others trophies hanging around, looking at them they sure brought back a lot of good memories.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier- school entrance- 16.15h_

Already waiting for their friend at the entrance Saori, Hana, and Yukari had already spotted Miho as she left the building. "Miporin!" Saori yelled as she waved her over. "Over here!"

"That must have been a long discussion she had with the prez if she has been there until now. What do you think they could have been talking about for so long?" Hana remarked as they waited for Miho to join them again. "Miho-san? How was it?" Making a polite and concerned question as she noticed the look on her face. "You seem a little exhausted to me."

"Miporin you look a little pale. Did something happen? Don't tell me they threatened you with something else this time?" Saori gasped, her hand shooting in front of her mouth.

"A-Ah. No. No, no." Miho objected, waving her hands as she made it clear that it was no such as thing, they didn't need to be concerned and tonight at dinner, when Mako would be present as well, was she going to explain it to them. "First of all, I want to apologize to you all for having waited for me so long, if I had known this I would have let you know. Second I would like to ask you to please be patient until then? Is that already with you?"

Gazing at each other for a moment the three of them agreed to her request, for now, they decided not to address the matter until it was the appropriate time for it. "Miporin's right."

Yukari was the one who then made the question they were all having. "What are we going to do now? It's already getting late for any shopping, we also need to hurry if we want to go shopping for groceries."

"EEHHH!?" Saori cried all of a sudden. "Oh, my god! I forgot to call Mako! I need to call her now!" She was in a panic to get her phone, her hands shaking as she did. "I need to call her now. I need to let her know otherwise she's going to miss it all."

As they watched in amazement how the ginger haired girl's fingers quickly dashed across her phone and before they could even understand Saori did in one quick move send the message. "And done with that, phew," she sighed exasperated. "I decided to send her a message, it's faster for me to type. So what are we going to do next then? Yukarin's right as most shops are likely closed by now. Groceries shouldn't be a problem but for anything else we would have to wait for tomorrow, I also think that there won't be much to do anyway. Perhaps we should just go and watch a movie at your place Miporin? What do the rest of you think about that?"

"Eh but I…" Miho tried to persuade them otherwise but it was agreed by the others that her place was the only right place to watch anyway. With a sigh she gave in and with a dread she asked what kind of movie they wanted to see, they would need to rent one anyway.

Naturally, it came as no surprise to any of them that Yukari suggestion contained tanks, of course, she also suggested that they could all perhaps learn a few things from one. Which wasn't a surprise either was for Saori's suggestion to get a romance movie.

Hana unlike them remained stoic, to the point of not offering any suggestion at all except that she would agree to the movie picked by Miho. For the rest it didn't matter to her just as long as they could all enjoy it, that would mean a lot more to her. That was what counted.

"I'd rather do something else, something we can all participate in," Miho made the suggestion which caught them by surprise. "I want something which would involve all of us doing it together, you know what I mean?"

They were all stunned, Saori the most, it appeared. "M-Miporin…?" she asked, not sure what to say. "W-What do you mean? What else can we all participate in together other than Sensha-Do? Does anybody else have an idea?"

Yukari was bold. "I don't know but I know that Nishizumi-dono is right. We all need to participate in it, to make our bond even stronger!" She proclaimed as she punched the air.

"T-That's not what I meant." Doing her best to calm Yukari down it was in vain as said girl's spirit was up. "Akiyama-san please calm down, ehm…" Unable to bring her friend down to earth again Miho was forced to use her last resort. "Panzer halt!"

Yukari snapped back to reality almost immediately at hearing the command. "Oh, did I do it again? Sorry about that." Yukari's head dropped at the shame.

"Don't be," Miho comforted her, letting her know that she didn't mind it. It was just one of those things they had all come to expect of their friend, but that didn't take away that each time it took them by surprise. "You're who you are, let's go then. I'm getting hungry and we still need to do our groceries." Miho led on with the rest of them following her.

"What do you all say about curry then?" Saori proposed as she got in front of them, holding a finger up. "We can all make it together, I'll make the curry while you all can work on the rice, vegetables, and the meat. Oh, and somebody needs to set up the table as well."

They laughed as they realized that Saori had just suggested exactly that what Miho had wanted, something they could all participate in together but then their previous attempts at cooking hadn't been entirely successful much to Saori's chagrin.

"Takebe-dono? You think that's smart? We're not so good at cooking as you are." Yukari was the one who pointed that out which made Saori let out a deep sigh.

"I know. Which is why we're first going over to my place so I can get a book on how to make curry for you all to read. I'm going to help you all to become better cooks," she smiled as she winked at them. "With my skills at communicating, you'll all grasp it in no time!"

There was a collective sigh between the three of them, Saori going to teach them was going to end badly for them.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier- Miho's apartment- 17.05h_

Mako was already waiting for them at Miho's apartment, she had gotten Saori's little text message earlier and accordingly had went straight to the apartment. There was simply no need for her to go home anyway as there would be nobody there waiting for her.

"You're late," she remarked as she saw them approaching her, they sure had kept her waiting for some time. "I have been waiting here for you. Can we please go inside? It's chilly."

"I'm really sorry Mako-san, we were held up at the grocery store," Miho nodded her head in agreement, yeah it was starting to get chilly outside but given that their autumn had been rather pleasant so far it had come as a surprise to her, then again with their school positioned on a ship seasons started to mean less as they could just alter their course a little and stay in warmer waters. "Let's go inside and enjoy a nice dinner together."

The rest all nodded and followed Miho to her room, they were already looking forward to being able to spend the night together.

"So Reizei-dono?" Yukari asked as she came next to her. "How's your grandmother doing? Is she still fine? I hope that your visit to her wasn't because of anything serious."

Mako couldn't help but smile at hearing that question, it meant a lot to her to know that her friends had been worried.

"Oba-chan's fine, the reason I went to visit her was so that I could tell her how I was doing at school and how things are going with you all. She specifically asked about that on the phone before I left. She told me to give you get her best wishes for the year," she informed the group as she further explained why she had gone to visit her grandmother.

It was nothing serious at all and just one of her regular visits she made every few weeks in order to inform her grandmother how things were going for her. With all of the commotion that had gone on she hadn't had much time for it much to her own dismay, but that was all over now and with more time on her hands she wanted to go visit again more often.

They all agreed with her that she had made the right call, after all, family was important in life. Going up the stairs towards Miho's apartment they started to discuss how they were going to cook the groceries they had bought, more than one way to prepare potatoes and meat.

Well there was no need for them to rush with it, the evening was still young and they were going to make it a pleasant night together, Miho was looking forward to it herself, spending the night with her best friends in school.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – tank sheds – 20.15h_

"Phew," Suzuki let out a short exasperated sigh as she moved in to get a better look at the component, only now with other parts removed had she and the others finally been able to get a better look. "This has been harder than I thought it would be."

Leaning in next to her Hoshino nodded her head in agreement with her. "I think we may have underestimated the amount of damage she took when we suffered that breakdown," she said as she handed a wrench to Suzuki. "We definitely need to remove it and get a better look at the damage. I can't believe it turns out to be this bad."

Behind them, with their arms crossed across their chests, Nakajima and Tsuchiya were exchanging worried looks with each other. Ever since its repair during their trip back to Ooarai their tank had been having troubles, the first signs started to appear when their drive through the town's streets was nearly at an end. It hadn't seemed so severe at that time as other damaged components, or for that matter, the other tanks of the team, needed repairs first but now this problem couldn't be overlooked.

"This already makes it the third time in as many days, I don't think it's going to worth it anymore for us to keep trying to repair it. Maybe it would just be better to just have this part replaced and while we are at it, we should also do an inventory on what parts we still have left," Hoshino remarked as she watched Suzuki struggle in getting the bolts loose.

Giving a nod of approval Nakajima knew they were going to be very busy for the coming days if they needed to make a complete check on their inventory, it would be pretty bad if they were to find themselves out of parts during a tournament.

"Well we'll need to look into that tomorrow, it's already getting pretty late and if we are to go through all of the parts then we could use some extra help. I'll discuss this with the president and the captain first thing in the morning."

Reluctantly Suzuki and Hoshino got back on their feet. "If it's alright with you then we'd prefer to have the part removed, at least we don't have to worry about it then tomorrow. You can already leave if you want to go home, no need to wait for us."

Hearing that Tsuchiya stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Hoshino's neck as she said, "As if we'd let you go further on your own. We're going to help you get that part dismantled and only then will we leave, you're going to come with us."

Rolling up her sleeves Nakajima smiled. "She's right, this club does everything together."

"Now let's get to this, I'm going to get that hydraulic wrench as there's no way for to get loose those bolts, make sure we also get a cart ready as it's heavier than what we can lift," Tsuchiya let out with a wide grin on her face. With her taking the lead the rest of the club sprang into action, each taken to what they knew best. Leopon remained to be a temperamental beast and it was going to take some serious effort and sweat to pacify it again.

"All right then!" Holding the wrench Tsuchiya was already looking forward to getting herself covered again in grease. "It just doesn't feel right without getting dirty at the end of the day, so what do you all say we work off some sweat and get her back into shape. I still want to try out that drift you know." They all laughed at her remark but the mood was getting better even though the work was becoming harder for them.

"Once we're done with her she'll be even better than before, I can't wait to test her out after we're finished with the repairs. We're so going to take her out for a spin." They all smiled at hearing that, they all longed to take Leopon out for a good test-drive after they had finished the repairs.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier- Miho's apartment- 20.20h_

"Really?!" Saori gasped as she heard that, come to think of it, she hadn't actually thought about the students in their team who would graduate this year. "So we have until the end of the year and then they'll be gone? That's so sad, I would've liked to spend more time with all of them. Who's going to take over from them?"

It gave them all something to think about, in over a year it was going to be their turn to graduate and what would happen to their friendship if they weren't going to see each other again.

"For me, I'd be really sad if all of you were gone, I like you as my friends. Thinking about never getting to talk to any of you again just feels wrong to me," the brunette whimpered as her head hung low, cheerful as she had been Saori had grown more forlorn as did they.

Miho had started to talk about what had been discussed but sadly the effect it had was one she had feared, namely that it would darken the mood when it had been planned to have fun together. "I know but that's how it's going to be, for us it'll be the same. But just because we no longer go to the same school doesn't have to mean the end of our friendship. There are a lot of ways for us to stay in contact with each other."

Yukari got up. "Nishizumi-done is right, we'll always be together thanks to Sensha-do. Our friendship is as strong as its armor. It'll be as focused as its main gun and-." They all just gazed at her, dumbstruck by her apparent odd choice of words. Taking their sudden silence for what it meant she sat back and apologized.

The rest of them could do little but laugh, they had all come to expect such actions from Yukari though that didn't take away that it still surprised them to no end. "Akiyama-san it's alright, there is no need to apologize for who you are," Hana informed her, her hand still in front of her mouth. "Besides you were right in what you said, I agree."

Miho was the first to nod her head in agreement, the rest followed quickly after that, Yukari had been right; their friendship was strong, it wouldn't buckle nor yield to what life might throw at it. Already in the short time they had been together they had already been through so much, such events could do little other than to strengthen the bond between them.

"Ahem," Mako made a quick cough, attracting their attention for a moment. "Dinner's going to be cold if we keep on talking." She pointed at the table, her chopsticks already in hand.

"Mako's right, we should eat first and besides we still have the rest of the night to talk anyway so let's dig in shall we." Thrusting her chopsticks in the air Saori made it clear what needed to come first.

* * *

 _Town of Ooarai - town centre- 10.55h Sunday_

Miho had to blink with her eyes as she found herself staring at the bathhouse, sure enough, she had visited those before but even then she was feeling pretty tense about it. This new one apparently wasn't just exclusively for those of the school but to people of the town as well. Earlier she along with Saori, Hana, and Mako had split off from Yukari and the first years as each of the two groups went in their own separate directions. She wondered how her friend was doing at the moment.

"Come on Miporin, let's go inside quickly," Saori cheered her on as she pulled on her sleeve. "I want to take a good bath and I have a coupon for this one," she insisted as the brunette began to pull even harder now as her excitement knew no bounds. "Come on! Let's go! Hurry! I want to go inside Miporin!"

Hana and Mako were just watching it, quietly moving along. "Saori-san, we understand that you're feeling excited but you should give Miho-san a moment." Politely reminding said girl that Miho was still in need of some time to get used to her suggestion. "Besides is it really a good idea to come here, isn't the one we have at the school good enough? Is there something special about this one that made you want to come today? Surely it can't be just because of the coupon as the one at school is also free of charge for us."

Saori snapped to the attention almost immediately in response to that question. "Ah but this one has new specials," she answered her friend as she snapped her fingers while holding up the brochure she had acquired. "See it has mud baths, beauty treatments, a brand new seaweed treatment and much more." Her eyes twinkling in response, she was completely lost in the moment.

"They say right here that it'll do wonders for us, our skin's going to get super soft and our natural youth and beauty will be preserved for years to come," her finger was tapping on the add and strangely enough they all just kept listening to her.

Well maybe it wouldn't be so bad to try out this new one, besides that it was still pretty hot for this time of year and getting themselves refreshed before they would board the ship again wasn't such a bad idea anyway.

"Well Saori-san does have a point, let's just go inside and enjoy ourselves before we go back to the ship," Miho admitted which prompted the others to agree with the idea as well.

Wrapping her arms around them Saori guided them further towards the main entrance of the spa. "Oh I'm telling you're so going to love this, this will be the best afternoon ever for us. Oh, this is just so exciting don't you think?"

Somehow they were already starting to get second doubts about this, they didn't know why but it might have had something to do with the sheer excitement that Saori was having about the place.

* * *

 _Town of Ooarai – shopping district- 11.35h_

Yukari took in the warm rays of the sun as she got off from the bus, the weather was pleasant though she certainly could have done without the extra company that had been tailing her. Dressed in some simple khaki shorts, matching shirt and her trusty backpack she had picked something that felt comfortable in for a walk through the city, though it had earned her a few remarks from Azusa and others that she should have picked something cuter, which when she looked at how said girls were dressed made her feel a little uneasy about her own sense of fashion as theirs were very different. That said she did have to admit that the first years looked really cute.

"Senpai! Do you really think they may have what we seek?!" Azusa and the others almost yelled as they exited the bus as well. "Senpai do you think that store has what we're looking for?!" They certainly were enthusiastic about it even though Yukari had informed them that she wasn't even sure if the store they were heading to could actually help them, getting parts for tanks wasn't easy and the ones they had already visited could only acquire general parts and not more dangerous components like guns.

Apparently, a special permit was required for it but in hindsight that did make sense, it was, after all, a very dangerous component. She had been informed that this store did carry such a permit but already she got a nagging feeling that it was also going to become pretty expensive, guns were, after all, the most expensive component of every tank.

Looking at her map and the directions she had gotten it was supposed to be just around the corner, the others simply following though they kept up with their questions. Well, somewhere she did share their excitement, after all, who knew what sort of treasures she could find in that store. Stopping at the corner she looked around, oddly enough there was no sign as one would expect of a store of its kind. Was the information she had gotten wrong or had the shop closed down? Scratching the back of her head she wondered what to do next.

' _Nishizumi-dono would know what to do. I've got to think like Nishizumi-dono does.'_ Miho wasn't going to give up just because there wasn't a clear sign, and as such Yukari would carry on. Besides she couldn't just go and disappoint Azusa and the others, no she had to look better even if it was going to take the rest of the afternoon. "Alright, it has to be here somewhere!" She exclaimed. "Look closely if you can see a sign, that's where we need to be." Taking a good look she found it difficult, without an obvious sign it proved to be harder than she had thought at first.

"Senpai?" Azusa was pulling on her sleeve. "I think that Saki found it," she hinted towards where said girl was standing, not saying a word though the short haired brunette was pointing towards a large building.

Somewhat confused but willing to take her suggestion Yukari and the others walked towards it, it came as no surprise to her why she hadn't noticed it before; the sign was just too small.

Unless somebody were to be standing right in front of it, it was just too easy to miss especially if a person were to just give it a quick glance. Nevertheless, they all felt excited about it in the knowledge they had found the store they were after, the anticipation already building inside of her at the prospect of stepping into a completely unfamiliar store to her.

"Senpai? Should we go in?" Azusa and the others waited for her to answer, it seemed they weren't entirely certain if it would be alright to go inside, besides that they had no idea on how to order the new gun.

Yukari had to steady herself, this was going to be such an exciting experience for her but she also felt pretty anxious about it. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she stepped inside. Already dreaming about the myriad of rare and beautiful tank components she could see in such a specialized tank shop, oh her mind was working overtime. The excitement in her heart was building up, she considered herself to be so lucky.

Even though it was pretty warm outside the store's air-conditioning certainly made it rather pleasant inside. Yukari was pleasantly surprised by it which didn't do all that much to make up for the rather disappointing sight of seeing precious little components lying on the shelves.

Other than rather standard parts there wasn't really anything that would suggest this store had a permit to sell more unique items.

Azusa reluctantly approached her, mirroring Yukari's disappointed look as she took notice of the rather empty looking shelves. "Senpai? Are you sure this is the right store? This sure doesn't look like it," she sighed as they kept on looking, there was nothing that gave them any hope.

Yukari felt hesitant on what to say to them, yeah the shelves were a disappointment but that didn't mean that this was the wrong store or that their trip had been in vain. There still existed every chance that the store simply did not carry such items in their stock.

While the rest of the first years carried on searching through the remainder of the store Yukari gathered her courage as she decided the only thing that remained to her was to approach the counter and ask the store owner himself.

Walking past shelves filled with drive sprockets, road wheels, idler wheels and even return rollers she noted that in terms of automotive components it was well supplied. Even transmissions and much to her surprise complete Maybach HL230 engines were stored.

Making her way towards it, she noticed a man standing there, he certainly seemed far older than most of the other store owners who had been rather young. "E-Excuse me sir? I have a question," she mentioned and then she waited for a response.

The man gave her a warm smile in return as he greeted her. "Ah yes young lady, what can I do for you? Is there something I can help you with, any purchase you are looking for?"

For some reason, Yukari felt relieved. "Oh yes, we are actually looking to purchase the main gun for a tank in our team. I've read that you have the permit to sell those correct?"

The man eyed her, not saying a word. He looked at her again and then he spoke. "Excuse me miss but are you from Ooarai? You wouldn't happen to be a member of the team that won the nationals this year?"

She nodded her head and her chest swelled with pride. "Yes, yes we are."

"That was a fine match; I don't think I have ever seen a match that kept me on the edge of my seat for its entire duration. I'm honored to have you visit my humble store, so how may I help the winning team? You said that you were looking for the main gun? What gun exactly do you need and for what tank is it?"

Nodding once more Yukari was starting to feel excited about this as it seemed the store could help them. "We need a new gun for our M3 Lee, if possible we would like to go for the 75mm M3 main gun to replace the current 75mm M2 that we are using on it."

Turning his back to her the man started to go through a pile of books situated against the wall.

"That's an American tank, right miss? I can order it yes if I can find the part code. You see every component for a tank has its own standardized code which makes it easier to order and to keep track of where it goes," he explained to her as he pulled one and placed it on the counter.

"Now let me see, M3, M3, M3," he kept on repeating as he skimmed through the pages.

Fascinated by what she was seeing Yukari couldn't keep her eyes of the book. Undaunted and feeling the courage build up in her she asked the man why he didn't have any guns in either the store or the storage for that matter.

"Regulations," he told her, "The last few years they have become very strict with regards to the storage of main guns. Apart from the certificate one also needs to have it renewed each year and new safety demands prevent any store from actually storing a gun. It can all be ordered, though."

A huge weight dropped off her shoulder at hearing that.

"Ah yes here I have it," he tapped his finger on the page, gesturing for her to have a look as well to make sure that he had picked the right part. "Well here is the part code, if this is the item that you're after do you want me to order it for you?"

By now the rest of the first years had gathered as well following a rather fruitless search, attracted by Yukari apparently drooling over a book had caught their interest. "Senpai? Did you find it?"

"Well, all I need now is the registration number of the tank and an official sign of approval of your school miss. I need both of those to validate the order, otherwise, it'll be rejected."

They all froze on the spot, looking at his outstretched hand it dawned on them they had neither of those. How could they have overlooked such crucial documents, their entire trip was void if they couldn't order as they had no idea as to when exactly any of them would come back to port.

"… C-Can we order it now and sent the required documents later? Our ship will leave port in a few days and it might be a while before it returns," Yukari stuttered as this was going to become troublesome, who knew when the ship would come back to port and allow them to make the order, it could take weeks.

Shaking his head the man made it clear that he needed all of that before he could even make the order as it all needed to be verified, the slightest issue and the entire order would be declined and a fine would be applied to the store. With safety regulations in place, this wasn't taken lightly. He couldn't take such a risk as not only would he be the one paying for the fine he would also risk losing his certificate to sell gun components.

"I am really sorry miss, but I simply cannot do that. The best I can do is to ready the order as far as I can bring it so when you come back with the papers I can order it right away."

Agreeing to that as it was the best they could make of it for the time being Yukari offered her thanks to them man and along with the first years left the store. She could understand their disappointment; honestly, she shared their feelings about having to leave without being able to do anything. Well, they couldn't change that anymore.

"So senpai? What do we do next?" Aya asked, looking around confused, as she and the others turned around to give one last look at the store. "Without that gun, we can't get better."

How was she going to tell them to just wait, the girls obviously were just as anxious to get an upgrade in firepower so they could help the team even more? "We just have to wait, I don't like it either but we first need those papers. Those are crucial so we should ask Nishizumi-dono and the prez when we get back to the ship. I'll see if I can make it back to the store before we depart from port." That seemed to lift their spirits for now. "Let's also get some ice-cream before we head back, we should have some time left before the ferry leaves."

All of the girls cheered as they thrust their arms in the air and with that, they set off, they would head back to the ship and get some rest before explaining the situation to the student council and Miho. Yukari began to wonder how many additional funds the school would have available now for such purchases given that they had won the national tournament, well a single gun likely wasn't going to cause any trouble anyway. Or for that matter break their budget.

* * *

 _Town of Ooarai – bathhouse- 11.50h_

Saori almost let out a squeal as she lay down and the first piece of seaweed was wrapped tightly around her waist. Well, his was definitely a new sensation for her alright, she hadn't been aware that it needed to be wrapped this tightly around her but it was going to be worth it, she kept telling herself. _'With this treatment, I'm bound to get a boyfriend,'_ she kept repeating it almost like a mantra in her mind, hoping to overcome the increasingly weirder sensation of having her body wrapped unexpectedly tight in the seaweed.

So far she had been the only one to take this treatment, Miho, and the others seeming to prefer to just stick to the more familiar hot spring or perhaps they had kind of expected it to turn out this way and had wisely chosen a safer option. Saori, against her will, let out a squeal once more, this was certainly starting to reach a new and frightening height.

Her body was unaccustomed to this and yet she persevered, her will to gain a boyfriend being stronger that her bodies' objections. To think that after this there was also going to be the hot mud bath and only after that was there the opportunity for her to see the others back at the hot spring but she wasn't going to let that deter her from achieving her goal, she would find herself a boyfriend.

She had made that promise and she was going to do her utmost best to get it fulfilled. Though for now she would first have to try and get through this. Panting heavily as by now the seaweed was being wrapped around her chest the sensation had become rather intense.

"Are you alright, miss?" One of the women attending her asked, had they noticed her distress? Surely her body's reaction wasn't making such an obvious statement now or could it? "Do you need a break or something? Is it too uncomfortable for you to go further with the treatment?"

"A-Ah… no, no. I-I'm fine, thank you for asking," she uttered hurriedly as she got up, holding the bath towel firmly in front of her. Why did she say that all of a sudden, her body was recoiling from the sensation. There was no shame to be had if she decided to just stop with this and move on to next one.

"I-I'm going further with this. Just could you be a little gentle with it." Her face taken on several hues of pink shade as she said it, her body struggling to relax as she slowly lay down again. _'This is some intense treatment alright. I wonder if the others are finding it easier to relax than I am, oh I so want to go into a hot spring after this is over. This is just getting weird and a little scary.'_

"Are you ready miss? We will start with wrapping the seaweed around your chest. If you could please sit up and raise your arms a little? Thank you kindly, miss."

Letting out a big sigh Saori first raised her right arm followed by her left arm, always making sure that she had at least one hand free to prevent the towel from falling off. _'Let's do this.'_

She wasn't just going to quit with this, no if she wanted to succeed in life then she would need to pull through and keep on going, that applied to Sensha-do and to love as well.

And then the first piece was wrapped tightly around her chest, she squirmed as she felt it.

' _Oh, this just feels so wrong to me.'_ Was all that went through her mind as strip after strip was wrapped tightly around her body. _'I really should have gone with just the hot spring, I really should have…'_

Miho gazed at the ceiling and the rather wonderful fresco that was painted on it; she had to admit that it was a nice place to relax with the nice surroundings. Still, she did enjoy the one they had back at the ship more as they could actually gaze at the sky.

That said she certainly could enjoy this bath, it felt refreshing and for the moment she wanted to make the most of it. Tilting her head to her left she saw that both Hana and Mako were also enjoying themselves at the moment, taking in the relative tranquility and peacefulness.

' _This is nice, it feels good being here with them though I wish that Yukari-san was here with us as well,'_ went through Miho's mind as she leaned back a little and allowed her head to rest on the edge of the bath.

Looking up at the ceiling again a warm smile caressed her face as Miho felt content about herself, she felt confident that she was going to have a wonderful time here however she could not get the words of Anzu and the student council out of her mind. _'They'll be gone, how will the team manage without them? They've done so much for us, it's hard to imagine school without them. I wonder if it's even possible to go on without them.'_

It was troubling her, and even though she had come here with her friends in order to relax those thoughts wouldn't leave her alone. _'We'll need to find new students who can take over, I wonder if there's still people left with an interest in joining the team. Still, we don't have any tanks to spare but we have to hurry, right now they can still train alongside the rest.'_

Turning to her side seeing the familiar shapes of Hana and Mako sitting there as they were relaxing Miho was reminded that this was more important, whoever was going to become part of the team was going to have to feel at ease with them. _'That's right, they should join the team because they like Sensha-Do, and they should do it because they love doing Sensha-Do from the bottom of their hearts. They should be having fun, enjoying themselves, yeah that's it. Training new teammates, it does sound really exciting, I hope we can become friends.'_

Just thinking about meeting new people and making new friends was enough to bring back a smile to her face, somehow it made her feel a little better about the friends she was going to lose. And even if they would out of her sight, they would never be out of her heart, as long as she would hold on to the cherished memories of her friends she would forever be with her.

' _Thinking about it, it might not be so bad after all, still, there's going to be a lot of work cut out for us, we're going to be really busy if we want to make this happen. I wonder what kind of people our new friends are going to be, I want to meet them and welcome them.'_

There was enough reason to give Miho hope for the future and finally she was able to allow herself to relax as she submerged her shoulders, as she felt the tension in her body loosening, finally giving herself the opportunity to be at peace.

However, her peace was short-lived as a bloodcurdling shriek could be heard that send a chill down everyone's spine, startled by it all three of them jumped up in terror as they began to look where the cry had come from. Still, in a state of shock, they all waited with baited breath for what would come next.

* * *

 **Author's note** : Well folks, there you have it, the first chapter of my newest story. I can only hope that you all enjoyed reading my ramblings, I would very much appreciate it if you did enjoy the chapter if you could leave a review, a fav or a sub, as I'm always eager to hear your thoughts.

Please don't hesitate to let me know if something bothers you or if you have a question just send me a PM. I enjoy talking to reviewers and people who have an interested in what I write, if you also have a suggestion I'm more than willing to listen to you.

Now I can't say with any certainty on when you can expect the next chapter will be released though I do want to get at least 2 more chapters posted before the end of this year. That said I have another story in the 'Elfen Lied' section that is currently my main focus so updates to that story will come first, still I do want to post updates to this story on a regular basis.

I'll leave it at that, I've likely already subjected you poor souls to more than enough of my ramblings for the time being. Until next time and I'll be hoping to you see all again. Take care folks.


	2. Discussion, Meeting, and Planning Ahead!

**Talks, meetings, and planning ahead!**

 _Town of Ooarai - downtown - 16.15h_

All by herself ever since Azusa and the other first years had gone back to the ship Yukari was elated when finally she caught a glimpse of her friends, she felt happy to see them again.

"Hello, everybody! Glad to see you all again!" With a tone of excitement, she greeted her friends who all appeared to be in good shape with the notable exception of Saori, who looked particularly pale in the face, as well as making a somewhat lethargic impression on Yukari. "Takebe-dono, are you alright? Did something happen at the bathhouse? D-Don't tell me that you confessed to a boy and got rejected?!"

"N-Nooooo!" the ginger-haired girl cried out at the top of her lungs in response, her hands clutching the sides of her head as she dropped to her knees. "It wasn't like that! Don't say something like that! I don't want to remember it!"

Surprised and momentarily confused Yukari wasn't sure what to make of it as she couldn't really come up with another reason that would explain the sad state that one of her friends was in. scratching the back of her head in an effort to come up with another suitable answer her effort was interrupted when Hana approached her and explain in some detail what had happened which prompted an immediate reaction from Saori as her face instantly took on several shades of pink in response.

"C-Can we please stop talking about what happened there, please?!" Saori whimpered as she pleaded again with her friends to no longer mention anything about the bathhouse as the ginger haired girl wanted nothing more than to purge her mind of those embarrassing memories. "I don't want to have to go through that again, I want to go home!"

The poor girl was completely out of it, mumbling a series of incoherent sentences as she lamented about something that escaped Yukari's attention before she collapsed again in a sobbing mess.

Mako remained somewhat absent from talking though by the expression on her face she seemed to be taking a certain measure of delight at Saori's sudden predicament that said she didn't do much let alone poke or offer some retorts are the ginger haired girl's expense.

"Yukari-san," Miho said as she smiled at her friend. "I'm glad to see you as well. So how did it go with the first years, did you find what you were looking for at the store?" she had another reason for asking that question, the chief one being that she wanted to change the subject as she saw that Saori still was feeling uncomfortable with it. "How was the store anyway?

"Ah about that Nishizumi-dono, well they didn't have the gun for us in store but they could order it for us," Yukari said in return as she began to explain to her friends how it had gone when she along with the members of Rabbit team had visited the shop and learned what was needed to complete the order. "So you see we need the signature of the prez otherwise they can't order it for us."

"That's a shame but I guess also somewhat understandable," Hana remarked as she joined in on the ongoing conversation. "I can imagine that they would like to know where such a dangerous component is going to, still that shouldn't really pose a problem for us now does it, Miho-san?"

"I shouldn't be a problem," Miho answered the dark haired girl as she felt confident that all they had to do was ask Anzu, who would without a doubt, sign the papers immediately once they had explained it to her. Once that was done they could hand over the papers and place the order for the gun, which hopefully would go well and provide an increase in firepower to one of their tanks. Then she turned to face Yukari and asked her the question, "If you want we could go and visit them later when we get back to the ship, I think we have a good chance at finding the prez in the office. What do you say Yukari-san if we go together and tell the prez how it went?"

"Yes, Nishizumi-dono," Yukari exclaimed proudly as she wasn't planning on letting go of the opportunity to go together with Miho, even if that meant she'd have to go in the middle of the night, she would seize such an opportunity with both hands. "I have everything with me anyway so that wouldn't be a problem for me, I'm certain that the rest will be happy to hear Monday that we got the order through! They'll be so happy when they hear it!"

"We're going to miss the bus," Mako pointed, lazily, out to them, hinting at the clock standing behind them, to which the rest of them all had a look at it, only to realize that Mako was right. Unless they would get moving they were going to miss the bus and therefore also be late.

"Ah, we need to go!" Saori, seeming to have recovered from her ordeal to some degree, shouted as she jumped up and began waving her arms frantically in an effort to make it clear that they really needed to leave now or they would risk being late. "We need to hurry everybody! Come on! Let's go! Hurry up!"

Spurred on by their friend's reaction the group quickened their pace as they had little time left before the bus would reach the closest stop to them and they still had some ground to cover.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - student council office - 18.30h_

"Oh, is that all?" Anzu remarked in her usual laid back manner as she didn't move from her chair, chewing on a dried potato as she allowed her gaze to drift over the open ocean while she made that remark. After having been told how it had gone at the store by Miho and Yukari she seemed to have a rather relaxed response about it. In her mind this wasn't something for her to be worked up about, it really didn't mean all that much to her, all she needed to do was to sign the document and get it send back to the store before the ship would depart again. "So all we need to hand them is the document with our signature? Ah sure, Kawashima," and with that, she gestured over for the monocle-eyed girl to come over towards her desk. Quickly handing her the papers Anzu leaned back again in her seat as she simply said, "Get it done."

"Yes prez," said girl nodded her head in return as she reached out for the papers, studying them for a couple of seconds before turning around, and then simply left the room, closing the door behind her which just left the three of them in the office.

"Don't worry, Kawashima will get it sorted," Anzu remarked quickly as she noticed, from the corner of her eyes, the somewhat confused looks of the two girls opposite of her, reassuring them that there was nothing for them to be worried about and that this matter would be resolved with all due haste. "Do you also have any information so we can contact that store? I'll have Kawashima set things up with them so it'll be easier for us to order parts from them in the future."

"Yes ma'am!" the brunette boastfully replied with a sense of pride as she was only too happy to oblige as she stuck her hand in her rucksack and searched for the papers where she had written down all of the information she had found about the store in question. "Here they are prez! Oh, the owner was also kind enough to give me a business card."

Behind them, the door opened as Yuzu quietly stepped inside and gently approached Anzu's desk which prompted the diminutive twin tail to gesture for the brunette to take the papers. "Koyama, can you take those papers with you and work out something with them, we might have to make use of them in the future," she said, smiling as something was going on in her head, "Well, I'll be leaving it to you then, let's see how it'll go."

Watching as Yuzu left the room once she had collected the papers much like Momo had done earlier it was now just the three of them inside the room once more, taking another bite Anzu chewed on it for a bit before she asked them a question, "So tell me, do you think this new gun is gonna help the first years? Will it make a big difference for them?"

About to give an answer Miho stopped as she noticed that Anzu hadn't addressed the question to her but rather to Yukari, with that she took a step back and gave a gentle nod to the brunette to let her know that it was fine for her to give the answer instead.

"Well ehm, it's true that it's an improvement over the gun they have mounted in the M3 at the moment but it's not that much of an improvement, to be honest. It's certainly nothing like the increase that we had with the Panzer IV and the Hetzer, still I believe that even if it's only a small improvement it's still the right thing to do."

"So it's not that good eh? Kinda makes me wonder if we even should bother with it," Anzu said in return to hearing that as she gave some thought to the answer she had gotten back from the brunette, nibbling on a new sweet potato. "Then again their tank wasn't that good, to begin with anyway."

Miho stepped forward in response as she let her hand rest on Yukari's shoulder. "I think that Yukari-san is right, even if it's a small improvement it's still an improvement and we can use any help we can get. Besides upgunning our existing tanks is going to a lot easier than acquiring new tanks."

"Okay then," the diminutive twin tail said in return with a smile on her face, "We'll get that gun in no time, no problem! Right, thanks for letting me know, you can go now. Bye bye."

"Ah, Nishizumi, good that you're still here," Momo stated the moment she opened the door and stepped inside the office again. "Prez, I've finished the papers, all it needs is your signature and then I'll have a courier deliver it for us. After that, we'll need to wait for the store to contact us and let us know when they expect to have the item in stock."

Once she had concluded her business with Anzu the short haired girl turned to face Miho as she informed her of another pressing matter. "Nishizumi, as you might know, this school will have its cultural festival in about a month, given our achievement we expect that we'll have far more visitors attending it than we have in previous years."

Miho and Yukari found themselves exchanging confused looks with each other.

"It's likely that students wishing to attend our school will use this opportunity to come and visit us, due to our exposure to the media during the tournament there will, no doubt be, that those with an interest in our Senshado team come and pay a visit to the school, Nishizumi we would like for you to take care of that matter and make sure nobody is going to leave disappointed. It's really important that we-."

"Kawashima, too long!" Anzu interrupted her, finally bringing an end to the rather lengthy explanation that the monocle-eyed girl had been giving.

"Ahem right," Momo coughed, slightly embarrassed, and quickly wrapped up. "We'll provide you with more information later, that'll be all, dismissed." Nodding her head she gestured that the two girls opposite of her could leave, there was nothing left to discuss with them and the student council had other matters.

Saying their goodbyes and making a bow Miho and Yukari thanked the student council for having given them some of their time before they turned around left the room, going through the door they said their goodbyes to Yuzu as well, also offering her thanks for helping them.

"Wow, that sure was something don't you think Nishizumi-dono," Yukari finally led out as she and Miho made it to the hallway after they had left the student council office. "I got a little scared back there but I'm glad to hear that the prez agreed with us about the gun."

"Yes, Azusa-san and the others will be glad and they have you to thank for it Yukari-san," Miho said in return as she offered some praise to her friend. "You really did well."

The brunette face took on a bright red shade as the words of her friend sank in with her. "N-Nishizumi-dono, t-thank you…" Still blushing she turned away for just a few seconds.

"You're welcome Yukari-san, what do you say if we go home? You likely have plenty of homework to do as well, ah I wonder why our teacher had to give us so much," Miho reassured her friend while she stretched her arms, they had been in the office for long enough and coupled with what already felt like a long day she was tired.

Walking through the hallway they took some time watching the myriad of photo's that had been framed, if one were to follow them one would get an idea of the history of the school and its students. "It sure feels a little odd don't you think, I mean looking all these pictures."

"Say Nishizumi-dono, can I ask you a question?" Yukari asked all of a sudden as she changed the subject much to the surprise of Miho. "How do you think Shimada-dono's doing?"

"Eh, Alice-san? Well I don't really know but I hope that she found a school to stay and hopefully she's made some friends there, I hope that we'll get to see her again one day," answering the question Miho began to wonder herself on how Alice might be doing at the moment, they hadn't heard from her ever since she had left the school carrier, still in her heart Miho felt that Alice had found a school to call home and with that knowledge she couldn't wait for the opportunity to see the young girl again. They kept on talking about what the future might hold for each of them as they continued along their walk towards their respective homes until they finally reached a point where their paths diverted, saying their goodbyes and wishing the other a good night rest they each went their own separate ways.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - streets - 07.30h Monday  
_

"Huh? A festival?!" Saori exclaimed, seeming to be a little surprised, as she heard from Miho about the talk that said girl and Yukari had the other day with the student council. "Are you serious about that? Do they really think that many people are going to show up? But what are we going to do then, I mean it's not like we can keep a match for them?

Having explained to both her and Hana about the talk that Miho had yesterday with the student council and bringing them the news about the upcoming festival, it seemed that compared to the festival last year that this one was going to be a lot bigger. Well, it was pretty obvious why this year seemed it was going to be different, no doubt a lot of people were simply drawn by what their team had managed to accomplish and wanted to have a better look, no doubt plenty of people who had no intention of joining their school would also come and visit. Even then it still mattered that those people would leave feeling satisfied and impressed by their school, at some point, it would pay off and there was nothing wrong with getting more publicity. The more people knew about their school the better.

"So I guess that we'll have to organize something for the visitors then, right Miho-san?" Hana asked, her tone remaining calm and reserved unlike Saori's. "I guess that the student council likely wants us to make a good impression on any potential new students, plenty of people will likely come because of us," the dark haired girl summarized as that was likely one of the big reasons as to why the school could expect to see a considerable influx in the numbers of visitors this time.

"I don't know Miporin, that sounds like an awful lot of extra work for us, how are we even going to manage all that? I mean we can't be at both the tank sheds and at our class at the same time you know," Saori made a comment as she pointed out the problem in what the student council had suggested, given that each class was likely going to run their own separate project they were going to be pretty busy. "Besides do we even have an idea on how we're going to present the team to the visitors? What if they start asking weird or difficult questions?"

Mako raised an eyebrow as she let out a snarky remark. "Don't bother with it."

"Ah but Mako, you can't do that," Saori retorts as there was no way that any of them could refuse a question from visitors. "We have to make a good impression you know."

"Well nothing's been decided yet but I'll go and raise the point with the prez, perhaps they can help us out a little with that," Miho spoke out, finding herself agreeing with what the ginger haired girl had said. "I think it's better if we were to just focus on the tanks."

"That does sound wonderful," Hana agreed as it made the most sense to her as well. "That way we'll have plenty of time to help with any questions that people might have, I think that plenty of people would also like the chance to see the tanks up close."

Nodding her head Saori added to that, "I guess for most people it would be their first time getting this close to an actual tank, maybe it's a good idea if we made sure it would be safe for people to enter the tanks. You know like stairs or ramps so that they're easier for anybody to get in and out. Also, I think we'd look better if we were to wear our uniforms as well."

"Morning everybody, what did I miss?" Yukari asked as she suddenly appeared, given how lively the conversation had been it seemed that nobody had noticed her approaching the group from across the street. "Ah Nishizumi-dono, are you telling them about yesterday?"

"Y-Yukarin?! W-Where did you come from, I didn't see you?" Saori yelped in surprised as she could barely restrain herself from hiding behind Hana. "How long have you been there anyway?"

"Ah Takebe-dono, good morning. Well, to be honest, I actually just got here. Isuzu-dono, Reizei-dono, good morning to you as well. So do we have a plan on what we're going to do during the festival, personally I'd love to let people find out for themselves what it's like to do Senshado, they should experience it firsthand! To know what it's like being inside a tank!"

Some curious glances were exchanged between the four of them, Yukari had actually given them an idea, though if they could actually pull it off remained anyone's guess. They were going to have to discuss it with the student council as well as the school's principal.

"Sounds like a hassle," Mako remarked dryly as it seemed she wasn't interested in anything that was going to mean she wouldn't get her required minimum of rest. "We should add a shift so that people can rest, it's important that people don't suffer from fatigue."

"Mako!" With a disapproving look in her eyes Saori made it clear that this was just another one of the hazy girl's attempt which wasn't going to fly with the ginger haired girl, "You can't do that, what kind of impression would that leave with the guests if they were to catch you sleeping?!"

"Takebe-dono is a little strict today isn't she?" Yukari whispered to the others as they watched said girl going through the effort of giving a stern lecture to Mako as to why it was going to be a bad idea for her to be sleeping in public sight which went on for a while.

"I think it'd be better if we picked up the pace again, we still have school to attend to today," Hana said in response to the brunette's question. "It'll also give us the opportunity to think about the issue and come up with various suggestions which we can discuss during lunch."

"Hana-san, that's a great idea," Miho commented, smiling as she did, it was a good idea for them to have some time of their own to think about this.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - school entrance - 07.50h_

Having said her goodbyes to the others Yukari, barely having made past her shoe locker, was caught by surprise when Azusa and the other first years were standing there, waiting for her, and if the look on their collected faces was any indication then she had a pretty good idea what it was that these six girls wanted to know.

"Good morning everybody," she greeted them quickly and then began to explain how it had gone when she and Miho had gone to see the student council the day before, she didn't have to wait for them to ask the question as it was pretty clear at this point why these girls had come to see her. With that knowledge, she was able to give them a thorough explanation of how it had gone with the student council as well as being able to reassure these girls that it was alright.

"So senpai, does this mean it's all been taking care of, that they've already made the order?" Azusa asked as she leaned a little forward, the others quickly mimicking her. "Did they say anything off when we can expect it to be delivered, is there anything else that we can help you with?"

Taken aback by their sudden enthusiasm Yukari was left, momentarily, at a loss for words, it seemed that they really wanted to get better and be of more use to the team, well she couldn't exactly blame them for that and it was good to see that these youngsters were so enthusiastic about it.

"Well the order was placed though they couldn't say when we can expect it to arrive, it'll depend on whether or not they still have it in stock at the main depot. If it is then it'll be maybe a week or two otherwise it might even be three to four weeks before we can expect it."

That said she did do her best to caution the first years not to get their hopes up too much as she hated it if she were to have to disappoint them, of course there was also the issue of how they would get the gun delivered to the school carrier as it wasn't due to return back to port for a couple of weeks once they had left, likely their next stop at port would be for the culture festival in about a month or so. With some luck they might be able to show it for the first time to the public then, certainly seemed like a great opportunity for it, provided they had the gun by then.

"They're going to let us know when it arrives, until then there's not much else we can do but wait. Listen, I know that you must be pretty anxious about getting that gun but being impatient isn't going to help you. Just bear with is, alright?"

"Well if senpai says it there's not much else we can do," Yuuki remarked as she pointed out that what Yukari had said was true, it would be better for them not to worry too much about it.

"Still I'd rather have it now so we can have some practice with it," Ayumi mentioned as she was the most anxious about getting to use the new gun, given that she was their tank's main gunner it was going to be her task of getting used to the new gun's characteristics though that was difficult to do if she couldn't practice with it. "I want to shoot some targets with it."

"You'll get your chance soon enough, once it's here it shouldn't take long to get it installed in your tank. After that you can get all the practice with it that you want," Yukari said as she tried her best at calming the first years down as there was no reason to get worked up about it anyway.

Sadly her efforts only earned her a fresh barrage of questions. "So senpai, is there anything else that we need to know about? Will we get to use special ammunition with this new gun, how are its characteristics? Do you think it's going to be more difficult to aim?"

Overwhelmed by the suddenness Yukari was taken aback, instinctively taken a step back to put some space between herself and the six girls who were swarming her, hands raised in a futile attempt to keep them away as they got even closer to her now. "Whoa, calm down! There's not that much difference between the performance of your current gun and the new gun, it shouldn't take you long to get used to it. Besides you're also using what's basically the same ammo so you don't need to worry about that."

After a quick but detailed explanation on how little difference there actually was between the two guns it finally seemed that she had alleviated some of the anxiety that Azusa and the others had displayed, with them calming down Yukari felt that she had to help these girls to understand that in reality there wasn't going to be that much of a difference in either the performance or the gun's handling so they would be fine, there really wasn't any need in her mind for Ayumi to have to get plenty of practice as she already had a firm grasp of handling their current gun so the younger girl was going to be fine. Still, it was also assuring to see these girls be so enthusiastic and passionate, that was going to carry them far if they wanted to keep on doing Senshado.

A quick glance at her watch told Yukari that she had been talking to the first years for far longer than she should have, it was fortunate that she always came to their school rather early, so, in this case, she still had some time before her class was going to start but she could forget about making a quick visit to the tank shed.

"I really need to go now, I think that you should also go to your class. I'd be pretty bad for any of us if Sono-dono were to catch us being late, don't you think? We'll talk about this during training if that's alright with you all. Bye."

Addressing Azusa and the others she apologized to them for having to leave but she also mentioned that if they wanted they could come and talk to her tomorrow during or after the team's training.

"Man, they're really fired up about this," Yukari commented as she quickened her pace and went up the stairs. "I can't imagine what they must be like when they actually have that gun mounted in their tank, it's going to be pretty awesome." Just thinking about it, she couldn't help but smile, noting with a sense of satisfaction that she felt really happy about having been able to help the younger girls. That in itself was already rewarding enough for her.

Greeting some of her fellow classmates as she reached the second floor Yukari turned left, just beyond the corner she already spotted the sign that denoted her classroom. She felt excited, elated and anxious about later today, there was simply so much that she was looking forward to.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - school hallways - 15.45h_

"I can't believe our teacher kept us waiting this long before letting us go on our break," Saori complained loudly as she had another look at the time being displayed on her cell phone, they had to wait for a good 10 minutes before finally, their teacher had allowed them to leave class. "Why did we have to wait anyway? It wasn't even that important you know, Yukarin's probably wondering what's keeping us, she's likely already at the sheds, waiting for us to show up. The only good thing is that after this break it's time for Senshado so we don't lose out too much on our break, fortunately. Ah, I'm getting hungry you know."

"Is that really what you should be worrying about?" Hana interjected as they walked through one of the many hallways, seeming to take some joy at having a little jest at Saori's expense. "Besides I doubt that Yukari-san is going to be worried, no doubt she's already busy in getting everything set up for us. You know how she can be, you can depend on her, so I believe that there's nothing for us to be worried about with being a little late. She's going to be fine."

"Hana-san's right, Yukari-san is likely admiring the tanks anyway and the tank sheds are almost like a second home to her so she'll be fine. I'm wondering though what she thought up that we can do for the festival, knowing her she likely has several good ones." Miho found herself agreeing with the taller girl, if anybody was going to be fine it was going to be Yukari.

"Hey," Mako greeted them as she lied there, resting on a bench, squinting one of her eyes as she saw the trio approaching her. Turning around and grumbling a little she said, "You're late, again."

"Ah sorry about that, we didn't mean to you know," Saori apologized quickly to said girl, making a bow as she did, "But you see we had to wait until our teacher let us go and she still had to get us some papers. Again we're really sorry that you had to wait for us."

Not saying a word Mako just left it be at that, seeming to be feeling better at having had the opportunity to catch a quick nap on the bench. Getting back up on her feet, though it was with some notable reluctance, she joined with the others as they were making their way towards the main entrance and their shoe lockers.

There wasn't going to be any need for any of them to change into their tankery outfits as Anzu had decided that there wasn't going to be any actual training today, rather it was expected of the teams to offer their own views and suggestions on how to handle the upcoming festival and how to present their team in the best possible manner, the goal of which was, of course, to have more students enlist.

"I wonder what the others will came up with," Miho summarized as began to take off her indoor shoes, flexing her toes as she did. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised if some of their suggestions might turn out to be a little more special." It made her think back to when Alice had arrived at their school and Momo had asked all of the teams for suggestions which had kind of backfired much to the chagrin of the person who had proposed it.

"I'm certain that they only have the best intentions in mind," Hana said in return as she placed her indoor shoes back inside her locker before she would continue, "Everybody is always so passionate about what they cherish the most, I think that's one of this school's strong points, we feel strongly about what we care about the most and we'll protect those feelings till the end."

Listening to her friends Saori straightened her thigh high socks out before she slightly adjusted her skirt, even though she didn't mind doing tankery and she even enjoyed being in the tank she did admit to herself that she felt happy that today they could take it a little easy.

Rubbing her behind she reminded herself that sometimes it could get rather rough inside the steel hull of their charges and despite her best efforts at having extra padding there were those times that her butt felt rather sore after having spent some time in the vehicle.

"A girl shouldn't have to worry about her butt being blue and bruised from sitting in a tank," she said in a hushed tone, an attempt to keep the others from hearing her, she felt proud of the fact that she could view herself as being an attractive girl which also made her feel a little concerned about those times that her body had to take some abuse. Nevertheless, it did make her feel a little embarrassed at the other obvious fact that she didn't have a boyfriend.

Still, that was a problem that she had promised herself she was going to resolve, now that the future of their school was no longer in jeopardy she could turn all of her time and energy into accomplishing that goal. Nothing was going to deter her from achieving that.

Standing behind her, somewhat taken aback by the sudden intense aura radiating from Saori, the three other girls were a little puzzled about what had brought this sudden change in their friend's pose as she appeared to be rather worked up about something. There was definitely something going on inside the kind girl's head and though they had a very strong hunch about what that specific thing could be nobody felt that it was a smart thing to bring to up right now.

"Saori-san's, really intense all of a sudden don't you think," Miho whispered to her two compatriots who could only nod their heads silently in agreement, it was likely best not to disturb their friend at the moment.

"Alright then, let's go!" Saori proclaimed loudly as finally, she had donned her shoes and with that she was all ready to go much to the relief of her friends who, for some reason that she didn't entirely understand, seemed to be a little shaken. Dropping her shoulders in confusion she simply gave them a puzzled look, her eyebrows lowering, and asked, "What?"

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - tank sheds - 16.00h_

Inside the tank sheds, as she was waiting for her friends to come, Yukari let her hand rest on the upper glacis of their trusty panzer IV, the cold touch of the armor in contrast to the warmth of her own hand. Still, Yukari could only smile as she gently moved her hand from side to side across the armor plate.

"I missed you too, I wish we had a chance to ride with you today but it seems like it's not going to happen, I know that you're sad as well, I'm really sorry as I'm sure you would've like going out with us again, don't you?"

Even though the tank didn't seem to respond to her question in return Yukari felt convinced that their tank had to feel sad about being left inside, not going on a ride outside with the crew who cherished their charge. "Don't you worry," she gently said to it as she gave it a loving pat. "We'll be outside with you soon enough, I'm already looking forward to it."

Immersed in her own thoughts about driving with Miho she was violently pulled from her thoughts as a loud clang could be heard echoing throughout the sheds

"H-Huh?" Yukari let out in her surprise as she looked around in order to see where the noise had originated from, not sure if she was alone in the sheds or not she called out, "Ehm, hello is somebody there?"

"Ah sorry if we startled you," Tsuchiya apologized as she appeared from behind the hulking form of the Char B1bis, dressed in her usual attire with a rather large wrench firmly resting on her shoulder, her hand raised she apologized again, "We were busy in removing some panels and I kinda lost my hold of this baby here, sorry if the noise scared you. We didn't mean to."

"You wouldn't have lost your hold of it if you'd been a little more cautious with it," Nakajima commented as she came to a halt next to Tsuchiya, shaking her head in disapproval as she folded her arms across her chest. "I did tell you to be careful with it as those panels are pretty heavy, next time you should be more careful with it, now come on, the others are waiting."

"Ehm excuse me," Yukari mentioned as she raised her hand. "What exactly are you working on?" To be honest she had gotten a little curious on what tank exactly the members of the automotive club were working on though Yukari could wager a guess on the answer to that.

"Ah Akimiya," the short haired girl remarked as she greeted Yukari, rubbing the back of her head in the process. "Well we're doing some maintenance on Leopon, she's still not feeling well so we thought of having another look at her engine but the panels covering it are causing us some problems. They're pretty heavy and the bolts holding them in place are rather tight."

"Still having problems since the match?" Yukari asked, all too acutely aware of the fact that during that match Leopon had almost completely wrecked their engine. It seemed that they still haven't been able to fix the problem.

"Yeah, still once we get those parts you ordered for us we should be able to get her back into shape. Say do you want to have a look?" Tsuchiya asked as she was about to turn around and go back to join with the others. "I don't think you've ever seen the inside of her have you?"

There was a sparkle in Yukari's eyes as she heard it, she had always wanted to see the famous complicated drive system of the Porsche Tiger so this represented an ideal opportunity.

"Are you sure that's alright with the others?" she asked her, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Sure, it's not like you being there would cause any problems and besides you were kind enough to go and order those parts for us so think of this as compensation for your trouble," she reassured the younger girl and made gesture that it was alright for Yukari to come and have a look if she wanted.

Looking over her shoulder at the panzer IV Yukari wondered if it was going to be alright for her to be gone for a moment as her friends still hadn't arrived, then again it wasn't like she was going to a different part of the school, Miho and the others could easily find her and besides they could always give her a call on her cell phone. With that knowledge, she decided to take up Tsuchiya on her offer, who knew when she would get another chance.

Marveling at the sight right in front of her Yukari was left utterly speechless, Leopon's crew certainly had been thorough with dismantling the rear section of the heavy tank, not only was every panel that they could get loose been removed but even the two engines themselves had been dismounted and removed from the vehicle.

Each Porsche Typ 101 was resting on a wooden pallet, allowing Yukari an unprecedented close inspection of each one from every angle and she couldn't help but be impressed by the craftsmanship that had gone into each engine, these were marvels of mechanical engineering in their time but they were also very fickle which meant that they tended to need a lot of care. Each of these was an air-cooled, V10, gasoline engine with a swept volume of 15 liters and capable of producing more than 300 hp while going at 2500rpm. Even the generators, the electric motors, and various other components that formed such a crucial part of the petrol-electric drive system had been dismounted and placed on their own separate pallet which made the area look like it was littered though it did make for an imposing sight.

"Whoa, I never thought I'd get to chance to see these," she breathed out a sigh of awe, cautiously reaching out with her outstretched fingers as she wanted to touch them and yet at the same time a sense of reluctance keeping her back.

"It's alright you know, you can touch them if you want to, they haven't run for over a day so they're cold to the touch," Tsuchiya commented as she caught the younger girl standing there, gazing at the engines while keeping herself trapped in an odd looking pose. "You don't have to worry about burning yourself you know, it's perfectly safe. Trust me."

"Ehm, well is it really alright with you? I'd really hate it if I were to break anything," the brunette let out as she was still feeling a little hesitant, being fickle and prone to problems she would feel guilty if she were to cause these girls more trouble than they already had.

Hoshino, who appeared from behind a stack of crates, explained it to her, "Sure, I doubt you can do any harm by just touching them, and besides we're actually looking at getting these replaced as they are pretty worn out. I get the idea that the previous owners were a bit rougher on them than we are, then again that stunt we pulled sure did a number on them as well. Either that or we'll need to completely rebuild them, anyway she's going to be out for a while."

Hearing it Yukari felt sad knowing that Leopon wasn't going to be able to ride for a while, to be confined to the tank sheds while the other vehicles could be running outside, she could only imagine how lonely the poor thing had to be feeling.

Tsuchiya noticed the younger girl's concern, "She's going to be fine once we're done with her, don't you worry about that, she'll be as good as the day she left the factory. There's no way that we're just going to leave her like this, we wouldn't be the automotive club if we did." There was a sense of pride in the older girl's voice, a sense of knowing that her boast wasn't just an empty claim but rather a reality.

"Will you be joining on the talk? The meeting that has been called, I mean." Yukari asked as she thought of something, given that there wasn't going to be any actual training today she wondered if the crew of Leopon would attend the briefing, which if she recalled had been stated that attendance was mandatory.

"Nah, not really," Hoshino remarked, shaking her head in dismissal to emphasize her remark. "We still have a lot of work to do and unless we can get the old girl back into shape before the festival there's no point for us to be at the meeting, the people coming to visit would likely want to see her in action rather than sitting idle in the sheds, am I right?"

"That's right! People want to come see our tanks in action, they want to see what our team's made of! Yukari loudly proclaimed as their tanks needed to be in the action if they wanted to capture the hearts of their visitors, their team needed to be seen in action, showing that there was a constant hive of activity here. The best way to do this would be for their tanks to drive around the school grounds and be seen in action.

"I know right," Hoshino laughed in agreement, her hands resting on her hips as she turned around to face the brown haired younger girl, "We're definitely going to get her outside and have her tearing up the place, even if it means we'd have to push her ourselves."

"Are you sure about that, she's pretty hard to pull you know," Suzuki, accompanied by Tsuchiya, now also came to join the little talk that was taking place. "The four of us are never going to be able to pull her, I doubt we could even manage that with the Type 89 and that's the lightest one we have on the entire team."

"That's it!" Yukari spoke out aloud, clapping her hand as she had just gotten a really good idea. "Thank you so much Suzuki-senpai, thank you for giving me an idea." Expressing her gratitude she made a bow towards the older student.

"Ehm sure," said girl let out, to be honest, she was feeling somewhat confused, as she was at this point left clueless to what kind of an idea she actually had provided the younger girl with. Glancing over at her fellow club mates none of them seemed to have an idea what Yukari meant though they could all see the girl was beaming with excitement, she definitely was working out something in her mind and it made them curious to find out what that exactly was, perhaps the crew of Leopon was going to attend the meeting after all.

"Yukarin!" Saori shouted loudly as she and the others spotted Yukari standing there in the distance. Quickly rushing over to greet her friend she said, "Ah there you are, we've been looking for you as you weren't at your usual spot. I was actually getting a little worried you know. Hey listen, we're really sorry that we couldn't be here any sooner, our teacher had a job for us," the ginger-haired girl said, explaining to her friend why they had been so late.

Joining up with her were Miho and the others, upon entering the tank sheds they were surprised to learn that Yukari was nowhere to be seen. "I'm glad to see you're alright Yukari-san," Miho said and smiled at her friend. "For a moment I thought you had gone somewhere else, luckily we found you here with the automotive club. Sorry that we kept you waiting."

"It's alright, I had a really nice talk with everybody here," Yukari said in return, her cheeks taking on a shade of pink as she heard Miho's say those kind words, knowing that her friends had been a little worried about her made her blush as well as feel warm on the inside.

Greetings were exchanged between the member of Anglerfish and Leopon, some small talk going back and forth until finally their attention was drawn when Momo's voice could be heard coming from somewhere further up ahead in the building, it seemed that the meeting was about to begin. With that Miho and her friends excused themselves as they already went towards the meeting, Tsuchiya and others said that they would show up later.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – tank sheds – 16.35h_

"Rejected! Rejected! All of them! They're all rejected!" Following a round of less than pleasing suggestions, all of them had been promptly rejected by Momo, said girl was starting to get into a particularly foul mood as a result, the near constant twitching of her left eye giving away her irritation and there were murmured remarks going around of her popping a vein if she kept this up."Can't any of you come up with something good?! Can you all just stop thinking about yourselves?! We need to attract more students to this school and right now our main selling point is our Senshado team!" the monocle-eyed girl shouted at the top of her lungs, slamming her hand against the whiteboard behind her to emphasize her point, Momo was becoming very aggravated.

Standing more at the back of the group Yukari and his friends were keeping their voices down so as not to make matters worse as the short haired girl's mood seemed to be getting fouler by the minute, and yet they had a lot to discuss amongst themselves as they all had suggestions, suggestions that they felt they needed to share with the others before mentioning them to the student council. It seemed that the time they had spend separate from each other had allowed them all to come up with various ideas, although some were vaguer than others, nevertheless they wanted to discuss their ideas first with their friends and see if they could come up with something even better as they all wanted for this festival to succeed.

"What do you think if we kept a maid cafe here as well," Saori remarked, pointing out how cute they would all look in various maid outfits. "I'm telling you that people are going to be smitten when they catch just a glimpse of us. Ah, I wonder what I'm going to do if I were to get any admirer wanting to woo me, oh I don't think I'm ready for that yet…"

"No, not gonna happen." Mako just shook her head as she voiced her disapproval of the suggestion, everything about that just sounded wrong to her and she certainly didn't look forward to having to play dress up for Saori. She would rather be served by others than having to serve them, that way she could relax and get some rest.

"Ah but aren't those going to get wrinkled when you try to get in the tanks? I mean they don't really look that suited if you ask me, I think it's best if we kept our uniforms on," Yukari mentioned, raising her hand as she felt that she needed to raise some points. "Also I don't think that those shoes that you normally wear are going to be safe, they don't seem to offer enough traction for when you're on the tank. I feel like that I could twist my ankle."

"Yukari-san's right, it's far too dangerous to go around the tanks in anything other than our uniforms," Miho responded, "While it's important to make sure that the guests are having a good time we should also look to our own safety, it'd be a shame if everybody's fun were to be ruined because somebody got hurt. I'm sorry Saori-san but I don't think it's a good idea for us to do it but maybe you want to suggest it to the rest of our class."

Miho just smiled, even though she didn't say a word she did kind of wanted to go with Saori's idea as she imagined that she would look rather pretty wearing a maid outfit though perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to go with something a little more stylish and refined as befitting of tankery. Maybe they could try yukata's instead though she could imagine it being a little hard to get enough of those, well, she could always make the suggestion anyway and see what the others have to say about it. "Oh my..." she whispered, her face taking on a hue of pink.

"Nishizumi, you and the rest on Anglerfish have been awfully quiet! I want to hear some suggestions from you all as well and don't you dare tell me that you don't have any, I won't allow it!" she emphasized her point by stomping the floor, a hollow thump could be heard echoing throughout the sheds.

Behind the increasingly frustrated girl, Anzu, with her legs stretched out, seemed to be less concerned with the apparent lack of good suggestions, if anything it could be said that the diminutive girl didn't seem to care in the least that they still had nothing after an hour, giving off the impression that everything was fine with her. With a wide grin on her face, she turned to look at Yuzu and whispered to her, "There's certainly a lot of high spirit today, don't you think?"

"Yes prez," the girl just smiled in response, whispering some words in return that seemed to go unnoticed by Momo who remained unaware of what was happening behind her back as she kept on shouting and ranting while pointing an accusing finger at just anybody present there.

"Nishizumi, I'm still waiting for your suggestions! I want to hear suggestions from you right now!"

* * *

 **Author's note** :

Well here it is, the next installment of this story, sorry that you people had to keep waiting but well you all know how real life can be at times and I do want to take my time and give this story the attention that it deserves and not risk ruining it by rushing to get a chapter published.

Of course having been struck down by a severe case of the stomach flu for most of the past week hasn't exactly been helping, it's a good thing that I managed to get most of this chapter's editing done before the flu struck me down otherwise I wouldn't have been able to post it this weekend.

Been some really good news for those of us in Europe, MVM entertainment has announced that they got the license to both the Der film and the Anzio OVA for release somewhere in 2017, like most of you I nearly jumped through the roof when I read the news. There's always a risk that some series might never get released outside of Japan so I'm really happy that both of these are finally making their way towards us. The Anzio OVA is from 2014 but hey, better late than never, let's make sure that we make it worth the investment for MVM and buy the official release.

Now the only thing left with regards to GuP animation that I want to see released is the 'Humble Akiyama Yukari's Tank corner', really hope that in time this short series will also get released as it's pretty funny to watch. Of course, there's also the 'final chapter' but sadly we don't know what form this is going to take. Doesn't make me any less excited about it, though.

Hopefully you all took a moment of silence today with Veteran's Day and honored the sacrifice paid by so many so that we can live our lives like we do these days. Remember them, remember their actions, remember their sacrfice, and don't allow them to slip into the realms of the forgotten ones.

Well, that's about it from me for today, I'm going to leave it at that, enjoy the chapter and I'll be looking forward to hearing your opinions and such. Have a good weekend and take care folks.


	3. Hotcakes and a Slice of Panzer!

**Hotcakes and a slice of panzer!**

 _Ooarai school carrier - streets - 08.35h Sunday  
_

Walking through the calm and quiet streets of the town Miho was reminded that it was still rather early in the morning, and as it was a Sunday, it should not come as a great surprise that there were few if any people out on the streets at the moment.

"It feels kinda different than usual, well it's not like it's so bad to have a little peace and quiet every now and then," Miho remarked quietly to herself as she craned her neck up to have a better look at the blue sky overhead, the sun had just broken through the clouds and coupled with the tranquility of the streets it made for a peaceful setting that helped Miho to relax.

"I'm really glad that I got a chance to sleep out today, I haven't really gotten a lot of sleep in the past week, not with all of the planning that we've been doing," she said as she came to a halt for a moment and stretched her back, reminding herself that for the past week school had been a busy period. Luckily though Saori had come through and had provided all of them with the perfect opportunity to catch a chance to relax this weekend, her suggestion had been a rather simple one, and much to the relief of those present, they would have hotcakes at Mako's place.

With a smile Miho thought about it, "I can't recall when's the last time that I got to have hotcakes for breakfast, I think it was a long time ago with my sister. Even before I joined Kuromorimine."

It had been so long that she couldn't recall it anymore, kind of a shame, but that wasn't so bad as she would get to enjoy it with her friends today, this time she was going to make sure that she would savor the moment and make certain that she would always remember it.

"I do wonder why Saori-san told us all to gather at Mako-san's place," she asked herself, it made more sense to have it done at Saori's place as she had everything they needed right there though Miho figured that there had to be a good reason for it anyway. "Maybe there's something special about Mako-san's place, come to think of it I didn't really get to see much of it when I visited it then, actually I didn't even see the inside of her place."

Somehow it was making Miho feel a little disappointed in herself that she, in all this time that she had come to know the girl, that she had never once visited her place, well with that it was fortunate that Saori had decided to keep it here, maybe that had been her plan all along.

Picking up the pace again she promised herself that she was going to take the time and get to have a better look at Mako's place while she was at it, there was likely going to be plenty of time for it anyway as she doubted they would be finished with breakfast anytime soon.

Just thinking about breakfast was enough of an invitation for her stomach to rumble in protest since she hadn't eaten yet, in hindsight likely not the best idea, though she felt that it would be a shame if she were to show up for the hotcakes and only manage eat one of them.

Tapping her hand against her belly she silently asked for her stomach to bear with it for a little longer, soon it would get to feast on all of those delicious hotcakes that they were going to make. "There, there, now. Just hold out a little longer, it's going to be fine."

As she thought about it, she began to giggle, realizing how silly she must have appeared to people for talking to her own belly. "I guess it still being so quiet outside has its advantages, well it's not that bad. Ah, I can't wait to get there and start eating, I'm getting a little hungry."

"Good morning Nishizumi-dono," Yukari greeted her once Miho had rounded a corner. "Good to see you up already, so Nishizumi-dono are you feeling as excited as I am about eating hotcakes together at Reizei-dono's place?" She was being her usual energetic self again, a little odd as there wasn't a tank in sight though it seemed that getting to spend time with her friends was enough of a reason for the brunette to get really excited about.

"Ah Yukari-san, good morning to you too," Miho said in return as she quickly greeted her friend, "Yes, to be honest, it's been awhile since I last had them so I was really happy when Saori-san invited us all. I'm really looking forward getting to have breakfast with all of you."

"I know, it's been ages since I last had any so I'm really excited to get to try them again and from what Isuzu-dono told me the ones made by Takebe-dono are the best ones of the entire school. I can't believe we get to try them out."

"Huh, say what?" Miho blinked with her eyes, for a moment she thought that her friend had just said that the hotcakes made by Saori were the best in the entire school, sure the ginger-haired girl was really good when it came to cooking but surely that had to be a little exaggerated.

"Just like I said, Takebe-dono's hotcakes are apparently the best ones in the entire school," Yukari said again, repeating what she had said earlier, "From what Isuzu-dono told me yesterday it seems that last year Takebe-dono actually won first prize with them during the cooking contest. At least that what's she told me."

Not sure on how to respond to that Miho was left speechless, if it was true, and she had little reason to doubt any of her friends, then Saori's hotcakes had to be something really special. Hearing this somehow made her feel a little nervous about having breakfast with her friends or perhaps she was thinking a little too much about it. "Is… Is that so?"

The brunette nodded her head, "Yeah but to be honest I've never had a taste of them myself so I can't really say whether it's true or not though I doubt that Isuzu-dono would lie to us. Ah but you have to admit that Takebe-dono is really good in the kitchen, I mean her bento's are always top notch."

That was true and there were also the dinners they had often made together though it was always under the supervision of Saori, it all began to make sense.

Slowly picking up the pace again Miho began to wonder what she was supposed to expect when she and Yukari would reach Mako's place, she wasn't really certain anymore that she had the right idea of what having hotcakes really meant, perhaps it would be best if she were to pretend that she hadn't heard a thing and just allow herself to be amazed.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - Mako's residence - 08.50h_

"Morning Miporin, Yukarin," Saori greeted the pair of friends as she stood there in the opening of the front door waving for them to come inside, wearing an apron it was pretty obvious that she must have already been pretty busy in the kitchen.

"Morning Saori-san," Miho greeted her friend in return, making a short bow followed by her taking off her shoes before going any further into the house, "So Saori-san, is there actually a reason why you told us to come here instead of your place?"

The ginger haired girl began to laugh, "Well you see, I kinda forgot that my hotplate is broken, I've been meaning to get a new one but we've been so busy lately that I've kinda forgotten about buying a new one. That's when I remembered that Mako still has one so I rushed over last night to see if it still worked. It did so I decided to have breakfast here instead."

"I see," Yukari remarked as she listened to the explanation from Saori, having left her shoes at the entrance. "Reizei-dono's place is pretty big, does she live here on her own?"

"She does," Saori answered them and then explained to them that since Mako's grandmother still lived in Ooarai it meant that Mako had this entire house to herself even though it was big enough to accommodate several people with ease, she also remarked that in her first year she had actually made the suggestion once that she and Mako could be housemates.

"Anyway come in further, do you want me to give you a tour through the house? We still have some time left as Hana hasn't come back yet from getting some cream from her place."

Miho looked in surprise but kindly accepted the offer from Saori though the question as to why Mako hadn't come to greet them was answered the moment they reached the living room as said girl lied there on her belly, sound asleep from the look of it.

"Well, that explains that," Miho giggled as she saw it, keeping her voice down so as not to disturb the sleeping girl. "So where exactly are we going to eat actually?"

"In the living room, don't worry as I'll make sure that Mako's up by then," taking off her glasses Saori was quick to give an answer to that question, she had already decided that they were going to make use of the living room as it was the largest room in the house.

"Come on, I'll show you two around," she said and gestured for Miho and Yukari to follow her as they were going to begin the tour in the kitchen first, all awhile Mako remained sound asleep, the only noise coming from her the gentle snoring she made.

About a good thirty minutes later, and a complete walkthrough of the house the trio of girls returned back to the living room, their sleeping companion remaining as silent as she had been when they had left, giving off no indication that she had noticed what had happened.

"Wow," Yukari breathed out in awe as she sat down next to the sleeping girl, still rolled up firmly inside her futon. "I know that Reizei-dono can sleep well but his is new to me."

Scratching the back of her head Saori gave them an explanation as to why Mako was so tired, apparently said girl had gone to visit her grandmother yesterday after school and she hadn't come back until late last night, very late. And given that Saori had arrived already pretty early in the morning there hadn't really been a lot of time for the poor girl to catch her daily quota of rest though of course, her quota was rather excessive compared to most other girls her age.

"But wait," Miho remarked as she thought of something, "How exactly did you get in last night if Mako-san was visiting her grandmother?"

"Oh that you mean," Saori said in return before she reached into her pocket and pulled out her keychain and held it up for Miho and Yukari to see. "I've got a spare key to Mako's place, see, there are times when I need to come over and wake her up. It's a lot easier if I have a spare to let myself in, don't you think?"

Surprisingly both Miho and Yukari found themselves agreeing with her after all, Mako wasn't exactly known for getting up early and the last time they had to wake her up that early they had to resort to firing the tank's main gun. Nevertheless, it would be best if that was kept to that one time, firing off a round, even if it had been a blank, in a residential area wasn't exactly something that they were feeling proud about.

"So when exactly do you think Hana-san's going to be back?" Miho asked as the absence of the graceful dark-haired girl was taking quite a while now, "Shouldn't she be back by now?"

"She should be," Saori answered the question before making her way towards the table to fetch her cell phone. "Maybe I should give her a call to find out what's keeping her. Excuse me for a bit," she said as she went back to the kitchen.

"I guess that Isuzu-dono might be having some trouble in finding the cream or do you think that perhaps she needed to go shopping for some? Shame we don't have any at my place otherwise I could've brought some over," Yukari mentioned as she and Miho kept waiting in the living room, leaning back she was starting to get a little impatient as they kept on waiting.

Fortunately, it was that Saori came back at that point and informed them what had happened, "Seems like Hana didn't have any cream at her place so she went to the local store to buy some for us. She's already on her way back and she thinks that she's gonna be back in maybe ten minutes or so."

Hearing that Miho offered a sigh of relief as she felt better knowing that their friend was fine and already on her way back, now that was cleared up Saori offered to make them some tea in the meantime while they would wait for Hana to come back as well as doing some small talk to kill time.

It was a good twenty minutes later before Hana finally showed up back at the house and the first thing the girl did when she saw her friends was to make a deep bow and apologize to them for being so late. "I'm really sorry that I kept you all waiting, had I known I would've taken a taxi instead, again I'm really sorry for being late."

"It's okay, we're just glad that you're back, Hana-san," Miho replied as she was happy that their friend was finally here and with that the breakfast could finally begin in earnest, having all of her friends here meant a lot to her. Of course, now it also meant that a hive of activity took place as both Saori and Hana kept walking back and forth from and to the kitchen.

"Hooray, hotcakes! I haven't had these in forever," Yukari beamed with excitement as she watched with captured interest when Saori placed down the griddle on the table, she got only more excitement once Hana appeared carrying a large bowl which held the batter.

"Yukari-san, you seem really excited about having them don't you?" Miho asked, amused by the endearing reactions of her friend at something that she felt wasn't all that special.

"Yes!" the brunette said in a cheery response, "We don't eat them all that often as my dad doesn't really like them so having the chance to have them here with all of you makes it really special to me. Ah, I didn't think that I'd get to share breakfast with Nishizumi-dono!" Anybody who saw the expression on the brunette's face could see clearly that said girl was really enjoying herself though with the excitement in the air that didn't come as much as a surprise to them, everybody was already enjoying the pleasant atmosphere.

"We've got some fresh cream as well," Hana remarked as she returned to the room, holding another smaller bowl in her hands, this time filled with cream, placing it down on the table she informed them what else they still had in the kitchen, "For those of you who want something else with your hotcakes we've also got syrup and butter, and I think that we also have some custard and fresh fruit left in the kitchen in case any of you would want those. You can help yourselves to whatever you want."

"Wow," Yukari breathed in awe as she gazed at everything that was already amassed on the table and if the dark haired girl were to be believed there was even more on the way. "Takebe-dono and Isuzu-dono really have outdone themselves don't you think, Nishizumi-dono?"

"Yeah," Miho said in return, somewhat impressed by the myriad of dishes on the table as this wasn't like her usual breakfast or even the kind of breakfast she had at her old home. Then again it certainly was turning this breakfast into a rather special and memorable event. "I didn't even know that there were so many things that you could put on them."

"I know right, at my place we only use syrup, never had them with fruits or custard so I'm really looking forward to getting to try them out," Yukari said in an excited tone, nodding her head in agreement before a certain grouching sound caught their collected attention.

Her head rising from the pillow Mako gave the first signs of life since the two girls had entered the house, it seemed that the diminutive girl was finally starting to wake up.

"Good morning to you, Mako-san," Miho greeted the smaller girl and then got up from her seat as she offered to help said girl with cleaning up the futon, "While don't you let me do that for you, you can go and get yourself refreshed and dressed in the meantime?"

"Ah," was all that Mako could get past her lips as she nodded her head and then with a groggy expression on her face rose to her feet and slowly stumbled her way towards the bathroom, everybody else just slowly watching her as she left the room.

"I'll go and see if I can help Reizei-dono," Yukari mentioned quickly as she got up as well, going in the same direction that the other girl had just gone, as she closed the door behind her Miho was left alone in the living room for the time being while she worked on getting the futon wrapped up so that there was going to be enough room for the five of them. Once that was done and Mako had returned to the living along with Yukari it started to become a lot livelier in the room than it had been only a few short moments ago as everybody settled into their routine, a more relaxed mood beginning to set.

Miho watched when with a certain brashness Mako dipped one of her fingers in the batter and then began sucking on it. "Ehm… Mako-san," she whispered, "You're gonna get a stomachache."

Said girl didn't say a word in return, with a sly expression on her face she held her finger in front of her mouth and whispered a quick, "Shhhhh." Trying to get Miho to be quiet, before any of the others and one girl, in particular, would notice it.

"Mako!" Saori shouted in an angered tone as she whacked the shorter girl over the head with a rolled up newspaper. Giving the girl not only a stern lecture but also a piece of her mind as the ginger-haired girl voiced her concerns, "I've told you before how many times now, don't eat the raw batter or you're going to get really sick. Have you forgotten how sick you became the last time you ate some of it?! I'm not gonna tend to you if it happens again! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Mako-san apparently got really sick the last time she ate some of the raw batter despite Saori-san's warning her not to," Hana quickly filled the others in on the matter hoping to explain as to why the normally kind and caring girl was so upset about at all of a sudden. "Saori-san had to tend to her while Mako-san had to rest for several days before she felt like being able to leave the house again."

"Ow, can you really get that sick from eating raw batter? I know that my mom always told me not to eat any because you could get sick but I didn't know it could be this bad," Yukari said, expressing her surprise at being told this. "How sick can you actually get from eating it?"

"Pretty sick actually," Saori filled them in about the dangers of eating raw batter or dough which had similar risks involved although she skimmed over a lot of the finer details but that didn't mean that her message had lost any of its meaning. "And that is why you shouldn't."

With that out of the way it was finally time for the moment that everybody had been waiting for, everything was already set on the table, and all that remained was for Saori to begin making the hotcakes which didn't take all that long.

"What's this about?" Miho asked as her curiosity peaked when the attention of her friends was inadvertently drawn to the ginger-haired girl the moment she sat down and reached out for the bowl of batter, somehow everybody seemed to be waiting for her to begin.

"Saori-san's the best when it comes to making hotcakes, she can make these delicious thick ones," Hana quickly explained to her as the rest of them watched Saori holding her hand above the plate sensing if it had already reached the right temperature for her to work on.

"I… I see," was the only reply that Miho could form as she heard that explanation though she wasn't sure what to make of it but just as she did she sit down again her interest was raised when Saori could be seen pouring the first of the batter on the plate. "Wow! You're adding more batter to it?"

Saori gently nodded her head in response as she explained to her friends what her reasons were for doing this way. "Yeah, you add more in the shape of a doughnut to make it fatter," she answered her friend's question smiling as she did. "You just watch and see for yourself."

"Wow, it's rising really fast," Yukari gasped in amazement as she watched how the hotcakes quickly rose after Saori had flipped them on the other side.

"We'll let them sit with a lid over them until they're done," the ginger-haired girl mentioned to her friends and explained to her captivated friends that this way the hotcakes would get to rise even more making them fluffier. It took a couple of minutes before the first of the hotcakes were ready to be served, reaching out for her friends' plates Saori was being pretty busy in making sure that they all got several before finally, she was able to make some for herself to enjoy. Even the words of praise coming from her friends were most welcome.

"Oh wow! These are so good," Yukari beamed the moment she took the first bite from hers, "These have got to be the best ones I've ever had, wow I just can't believe they're that good!"

Smiling Hana agreed with the brunette, "Saori-san, you've really outdone yourself this time, I think that these are even better than the last ones I had. Oh, they are just delicious, I can't just stop eating them."

Unlike the other two girls Mako didn't say a word, no she was more occupied with devouring her hotcakes at a frightening rate and barely had any of the others finished half of their portion or she was already asking for seconds though Hana seemed to refuse being outdone.

"Saori-san," Miho spoke after she had finished her first hotcake, "I want to thank you for having invited me over, these are definitely the best hotcakes I've ever had and I'm glad that I got the chance to share them with you all. This might be the best breakfast I've had since coming to Ooarai. Thank you all for being here with me." Barely had she spoken the words or her face took on several shades of pink as how embarrassing it must have sounded began to sink in with her. "Ah, please forget I said that," she said quickly before averting her eyes.

"You know," Yukari admitted as she craned her neck and gazed at the ceiling having been able to fill her stomach to her satisfaction, which confused those present, "I'm really looking forward to next year, to think of all the new matches that we're going to have together, all of the people that we're going to meet. I know that it's also going to be sad that we've got to say goodbye to so many of our friends but still…"

"Life goes on, hmpf," Mako said in response right before she stuffed her mouth full with a hefty piece of hotcake. "Mmph, mmph, hmpf, hmpf, mmph, mmpfh."

"Mako!" Saori interjected quickly as she leaned forward, trying to stop the shorter girl from stuffing herself. "You need to show some moderation, take small bites, alright? Sheesh," she sighed in exasperation as she wiped off the sweat with the back of her hand, shaking her head in the progress as the diminutive girl just continued with what she was doing.

"Anyway, do you think that we'll manage to get enough new recruits to join the team? We're definitely going to need quite some of them to make for up the crews that we're going to lose," Yukari continued, not seeming fazed by the display of Mako only a few short seconds ago. "Ah, it feels really exciting just thinking about it, oh that reminds me, Nishizumi-dono have you heard the news that's been going around lately?" she asked her friend all a sudden.

Miho blinked, feeling a little confused about the brunette's sudden question. Apparently, her friend was already aware of some news that she herself hadn't caught on yet. "Have I heard what exactly? Are they planning on anything special? What do you mean, Yukari-san?"

Beginning to grin from ear to ear Yukari leaned in closer and gestured for her friends to do so as well though there really wasn't any need for it as they were the only people in the house. "Well, rumors have been going around on several websites about the exchange program that the JSF has with the UETA," the brunette said in a soft-spoken tone, again there really wasn't a need for acting like this was a major secret but that didn't seem to stop her, occasionally throwing a glance over her shoulder as if trying to make sure they were alone.

"My, my, my," Hana remarked, a sly smile on her face as she seemed to be really enjoying the moment. "This is really exciting don't you think? I wonder what's going to be so special but if you don't mind me asking what exactly is UETA? I've never heard of it before."

"Huh?" In her surprise Yukari just stared at the dark haired girl opposite of her, for a moment she felt like she wasn't sure on whether or not the girl was actually being serious or not. "You mean you don't know, Isuzu-dono? Well much like the JSF is for Japan, the UETA is for Europe and it arranges all Senshado related matters though they call it different than we do."

Yukari then began to explain to her friend how tankery was played across the worlds and that there were various organizations who oversaw its implementation and execution, organizations such as the NTA in the United States or the UETA in Europe but these were certainly not the only ones as the sport was really popular as well in Russia and various countries in Africa as well. As one would come to expect these organisations also had exchange programs in place that would allow for teams from one of these organisations to go and participate in another, the goal of which was to expose teams to new stimuli, tactics and ideas which upon their return these team would introduce into their own leagues and as a result help to enrich the sport.

"They keep these exchanges once every two years," she said, holding up two of her fingers for her friends to see, originally it had been planned to keep them each year but the costs associated with moving an entire team and its support simply prevented that. "Last time a team went over to Europe and that's already a good two years ago.

"So Yukarin," Saori remarked, raising her hand as she caught her attention before she continued. "So does that mean that this year we're going to see a team from the UETA come and play here in Japan? Did I get that right or did I catch it wrong?"

"Yes! Apparently this year it's the JSF turn to host a team from the UETA while they stay in Japan, don't you think it would be awesome if we could have a match against them, Nishizumi-dono?!"

"Eh… Yukarin, do you really think that's a good idea? I don't know if it's gonna be a smart idea in having to face a team from Europe," Saori voiced some of her concerns as she wasn't really sure if she wanted to get into another match against a team that was nasty. "What if they take Senshado different than us, what if they play it really rough? I don't want to get bruises all over my butt again just because we're getting hammered by shells!"

Hana looked up from her plate, sensing an opportunity, "Is that what you're worried about Saori-san? Shouldn't we more worry about MEXT trying anything?"

"I doubt that's going to happen," Miho was quick to correct her friend as now with the paperwork in order there no way for their school to be closed. "If anything I wouldn't mind getting to see what Senshado is like in other countries, I know that my sister went over to Germany for several matches in the past but I sadly never got to see much of them."

The four of them listened to what she had to say, in truth none of them actually had any idea of what they could expect and it was even possible that this wasn't going to affect them at all as normally these were older students or even adults so the chance of them meeting Europeans was almost nonexistent.

"A shame, though," Yukari let out a sigh as she helped herself to another hotcake. "I really would've liked a chance to see what kind of tanks they might have. Still, do you think it's possible for us to go and watch a match of theirs?"

"I don't see any reason why we can't," Saori responded, "I mean it's not like we can go and visit a match during the weekend. Hey do any of you know if they allow boys in Senshado in the rest of the world, I think I read that somewhere online…" she began to trail off.

Nobody really had an answer for her, mainly because they hadn't ever bothered to check it.

Meanwhile, Mako just kept herself busy with finishing the last of her hotcakes, not really having participated in the various small talks of her friends her immediate concern lied with hoarding as many of the hotcakes as she could before the supply batter would eventually run out. A round of laughter went out when the others noticed it and quickly followed her example, they weren't planning on letting Mako hug all of the remaining hotcakes for herself.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - tank sheds - 11.15h_

"So I guess that you still haven't been able to get her repaired, senpai?" Yukari asked as she and Miho were being given a thorough report on the current status of Leopon by Tsuchiya, it seemed that they still hadn't been able to get everything repaired as some of the parts they had ordered had yet to come in. It was a shame as that meant they would be down one team for the training today.

But the problems didn't seem to end there as Miho got another unpleasant surprise when Anzu, in her usual manner, stop with chewing her dried potatoes and got up from her seat.

"Ehm prez, is there something wrong?" Miho asked as she noticed it but as to the girl's exact reason she was left clueless, for a brief moment she asked herself if perhaps the diminutive twin-tail was going to make another one of her surprise announcements to the team, maybe a match against another school or perhaps this had something to do with the upcoming culture festival. She didn't have to wait to get her answer for long.

"Well, Nishizumi-chan," Anzu said as she waved to Miho and the others, her twin tails moving as she did, both Momo and Yuzu were quick to follow her example as they said their goodbyes and then left along with the diminutive girl, "Take care of the training for us will you? We've got some important things to take care of first. Thank you! Bye, bye!"

As they were being watched leaving the sheds Miho began to wonder what could be so important that the student council would pass on attending the training today, it didn't do her much good to think about it for too long as there wasn't much she could do about it. Besides it did work out for her as now the team was down to just six tanks which meant that it would be easier to divide into two equal teams.

"So does that mean it's just going to be the six of us, captain?" Azusa asked, being the first to notice besides Miho that the numbers were equal again. Behind her, there were some murmured talks coming from the rest of her tank's crew though she kept her attention focused on the meeting before they would head out.

"Yes, as Leopon is still undergoing repairs and Turtle now absent due to others matters the remaining six tanks will split up," Miho answered before she turned her attention to the other crews and began to instruct them on what today's plan for training was going to be, "We'll form two opposing teams, Isobe-san and Sono-san will team up with Anglerfish while Caesar-san and Nekota-san will team up with Azusa-san who'll be in command."

Those crews arrayed here nodded their heads in approval; all of them, except for Azusa who appeared to be in a sudden state of shock at the mention of being placed in command of the opposing team.

"… E-Ehm… c-c-captain… N-N-Nishizumi," she stuttered as she began to shake uncontrollably at the mere thought that she, as one of the youngest members of the entire team, would be given orders to older students which were normally unheard of in normal classes and it really made the younger girl feel rather nervous about the prospect of the upcoming match. "… A-A-Are… y-you really… s-s-sure…?" she asked in a hesitant tone, pointing at herself as if questioning if Miho really had meant her and not somebody else.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face, her throat feeling rather dry as she waited with baited breath for a reply from the team's captain.

"Yes," Miho said in return, offering the younger girl a reassuring smile to let her know that she had indeed meant her, "Given that you're one of the younger members of the team I thought it would be best if you were to be given more experience in commanding the team, the team is going to need a new second in command next year as some are going to graduate."

Miho began to fill everybody in on her plans for Ooarai's tankery team.

Although some concerned murmurs could be heard coming from the crews they all nevertheless understood that they would have a lot of work cut out for them not only in the coming months but next year as well, everybody was expected to help with the new recruits.

Miho continued, "I'm certain that you all know that there's going to be a big weight on our shoulders next year, people will have high expectations of us after what we showed them this year. Sadly I think it's only going to become harder for us, people know us now, many of the other schools know all too well what we can do, and they aren't likely to make the same mistake of underestimating us again."

Observing the response she was getting from the rest of the team Miho also warned them that many teams who prior to Ooarai's participation in the tournament did not enter in the competition would now be bound to try again, spurred on by the immense success that they had, and of course there would be those schools looking to boost their skill or reputation.

"There's likely going to be a lot more request for friendly matches coming in the future, most of these will likely be schools with smaller teams but we shouldn't take those lightly either."

The students arrayed here agreed to that, the country had seen what their team could do, other schools were aware of the threat that Ooarai now posed, the competition would only become fiercer. It was going to be even more of an uphill struggle than it had been this year.

All of that meant that the team would need to improve as well, becoming more used to using new tactics as well as decreasing their reliance on Miho's instructions; a certain sense of independent thinking was going to be needed to prevent Ooarai's team from collapsing if there would be a hit to its chain of command. As such Miho wanted to have at least two more people in the team who could take over and Azusa was a natural first pick though picking the second person proved to be more troublesome. There were several other students that Miho had in mind but perhaps it would be a good exercise and see how they would do in the coming training matches, the next one would be done without her supervision.

"Azusa-san, I have your map right here," Miho mentioned as she held out one of the two maps that had been prepared for this training match. "Make sure that you have a good look at it before you leave, if you have any questions now's the time to ask me."

Accepting it and folding it out the younger girl's eyes quickly scanned the map, it didn't take her long to realize what was actually wrong with it or rather what was missing, "Ehm captain," she said cautiously, "I think this map isn't complete, it's missing a lot."

Giving her a smile in return Miho explained to her that the map wasn't wrong, it was correct.

"There's a reason why it only has your starting point noted down on it, I want you to come up with a plan yourself, I won't always be there to give out orders. Don't worry too much about it, Azusa-san, just believe in yourself," she said as she let her hand rest on the younger girl's right shoulder, reassuring her that she had nothing to worry about.

Finishing her lecture and feeling that it was about time for them to get into some action she rounded up her talk and gave one last order to the team. "Alright then everybody, mount your vehicles. Panzer vor!"

A chorus of hurrah greeted her in return as the crews dashed off towards their respective vehicles, clambering aboard their charges, engines roaring into life as the great steel beasts were awoken from their slumber. The distinct clattering sound of the tracks began to pick up as the tanks rolled out onto the parade grounds before making a sharp turn to the right and heading off in the direction of the training grounds.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – training grounds - 13.00h_

Relaying her orders to the other tanks in her team Azusa was again looking at the map in front of her, questioning which route would be the better one to pick. "Ah I wish that I had a little more to go on besides these coordinates," she sighed as she went through the words again that her captain had told the younger girl.

"So where exactly are we going?" she could hear Karina asking, prompting the tank's commander to get back inside the turret and provide additional instructions so that her driver had an idea on where they were going.

"Just make sure that you keep us steady, the part in front of us looks rather rough and I'd hate to see the tank roll over," she warned her driver in advance as they had been here before on numerous occasions which meant that they got to recognize their surroundings quickly.

"Aye," Karina said in response and kicked it to a higher gear as the tank picked up the pace.

Standing up straight again in the cupola Azusa got to enjoy the view offered by her tank's height, maybe about the only advantage that the M3 held compared to other tanks, then again that same height also made the tank a far larger target given its rather thin armor.

At the head of a column of just three tanks she again began to wonder why she had been the one chosen to lead this group, surely there had to be someone better than her, she wasn't entirely happy with the thought of getting to order around the older students and she dreaded when the moment would come where she would pick up her microphone and radio in an order.

She was starting to feel nervous, least of which because she was up against the team's captain, it made for a rather daunting task in having to come up with a plan that would allow her side to defeat the best that Ooarai had to offer when it came to tankery.

Resting on the cupola she was starting to feel exhausted. _'Why do I feel so terrible all of a sudden, was it something I ate or perhaps I'm coming down with a cold. No, wait, that can't be it. No, the reason why I'm feeling must be because this is the first time I'm actually in command of more than just my own tank. I feel so nervous about the captain having picked me. It would've been better if she had picked somebody else instead, I'm just a first year, there's no way that I can be good enough to take on such an important role. I'm just glad that we don't have to worry about running into the other team right now, I wonder if we can even win this match.'_

For now, at least she wouldn't have to worry about it as it was going to take a good twenty minutes before they would reach the starting point, time that she should be using to formulate a plan and explain her strategy to the other commanders in her team. Gently rocking back and forth as the tank took a dip Azusa tightened her grip, she wasn't looking forward to this game.

Looking across her shoulder she noted with some satisfaction that the StuG and Chi-Nu were keeping up with the M3, at least she wasn't going to have to worry about the others losing sight of her as she was acutely aware that their greatest strength lied in a combined assault.

Commanding a single tank and issuing orders to its crew was very different than having to command a unit of three tanks, it was far more challenging to do so and already she was finding it hard to do so while they were just moving to their starting point, God help her when they would be in actual combat. There was simply no way that she was going to be able to keep up with her team captain if she were to find herself in that station, and yet she also found herself admiring her team captain for always managing to pull through such difficult situations. She wasn't even going to get started when she reminded herself at how much harder those battles had been, she was just facing three opponents today, her captain had faced teams with twenty to thirty opponents.

"Geez, just thinking about it already makes me feel worse," she said underneath her breath, doing her best to make sure that nobody else could hear her, she knew that it would be bad for the morale of the crew if they would learn that their commander was doubting herself. _'Ah come on Azusa, you can't stay down like this, you need to pull yourself together. There's gotta be a reason why captain Nishizumi picked you, even if you can't believe that you can pull this off yourself, she likely does, you have to believe in her, believe in yourself.'_

Shaking her head she rose up again, she needed to be more positive and stop thinking that she didn't have a chance at winning this match just because the odds were stacked against her, hadn't Ooarai found itself in just that same kind of situation before, and they had always come out on top because they kept on believing. _'That's right, I need to believe in myself, I need to believe in my crew, and the teams under my command. Staying down isn't gonna help me, I need to think and come up with a plan, we want to win this, to prove that we're just as good as the older students, I need to show that the captain was right when she picked me. I need to trust her judgment, she picked me for a good reason. I need to believe in her, in myself.'_

Returning to her map she became aware that she would need to relocate to a different point once the match would start at which point the real challenge for her would come.

"I wonder if it's possible for us to make use of this area here," she said to herself as she traced a line across the map, taking into account of what the terrain might be and if it would be suitable for what she was planning to do, "Or perhaps we can try this route, which is better?"

Slowly but certainly a plan was starting to formulate in her mind, it was going to be a little risky but if she played it right then she might be able to get the first kill if the other team came looking for them. "Alright, let's go and try this one," she said as a smile began to appear on her features as now she felt like she had an idea on how to continue from here on.

* * *

"Are you really sure that it was alright to give her just their starting location, Miporin?" Saori asked as she rose up from the hatch, using one of her arms to keep herself steady as the Panzer IV traversed the uneven grounds. "Don't you think she could've used more info?"

Lowering her binoculars Miho smiled as she said, "I didn't give her any further information because she doesn't need it. Azusa-san's pretty smart and she's been paying a lot of attention during practice so I was a little curious to see how much she has learned."

The ginger-haired girl still had her doubts and she expressed those. "But still… don't you think it would've been better… I mean she's only a first year, you should've helped her."

"Actually I think that Nishizumi-dono is right," Yukari chimed in as she emerged from her own hatch and joined in on the discussion. "It's really important that the rest of the team are going to become less dependent on Nishizumi-dono, if we don't try and get several other commanders who can take over our command structure is going to remain vulnerable."

She also added that it was likely that next year they would see a more concentrated effort by opposing teams to take out Anglerfish first in an effort to cripple Ooarai's command.

"Well, that's true." Saori found herself admitting that it would be really bad if they got taken out first and there was nobody else who could take over and prevent the team from being picked apart. Still, she felt some concern about throwing Azusa in the deep so to speak, she was a little worried that it might just be a little too much for the younger girl's shoulders to bear. It could get pretty tense during the crucial moments of battle and it was all too easy to make a mistake, fail to notice an important detail or pass the wrong order.

"I'm glad to see that you're worried about them, Saori-san," Miho said as she noticed the somewhat concerned look on her friend's face. "That way I know that somebody is looking after them, I don't want to burden any of Rabbit with this but the truth is that they're likely going to take over from us when we graduate." For a moment Miho fell silent.

"That's why I want to help them as much as possible, they need to get as much experience as possible while we're still here to help them. Once we graduate there's not going to be anybody to help her."

"And that is why you wanted for her to take command of the other team, Miho-san?" Hana asked politely as she had decided that she wanted to get in on what the other three had been talking about and given that there was no risk of running into the opposing team she was confident that she could leave her position for the moment. "But Saori-san does have a point, we have to be careful that we don't burden them too much. They still have a lot to learn but much like Miho-san said they're smart when they need to. You all remember that it was them who saved the whole team when it looked like it was all over for us?"

There was a collective nod, they all knew to what event Hana was referring to, it had happened during the final stages of Ooarai's fight against the UST when it looked like their team was done for. Trapped and surrounded by the enemy it seemed all was lost, that was until the six young girls of Rabbit came up with an ingenious plan to rescue their comrades when they had destroyed the mountings of a Ferris wheel allowing the great metal construct to slam right into the opposition and enable the trapped tanks to force a breakout which eventually led to Ooarai's triumph. Without Rabbit team having made that crucial decision they would have lost.

As they had been driving for a while now Miho figured that it was about time to send out Noriko and do a little recon of the area ahead of them, with any luck she might even be able to find the other team though Miho hoped that Azusa would make it as difficult for them as was possible, she wanted for the younger girl to succeed. Pressing her fingers against her throat microphone she radioed her orders to said the diminutive tank commander but she also cautioned Noriko not to take any unnecessary risks.

"Good luck, Isobe-san," Miho wished to her as she watched how the small tank picked up speed, kicking off a cloud of dust, and made off in a different direction than Anglerfish and Mallard who maintained their current heading. Now she was starting to get a little curious as to how Azusa was doing, well she was going to find out for herself soon enough. After that, she would come up with a plan and see how the younger girl was going to react.

* * *

Observing the terrain in front of her Azusa was doing the math in trying to come up with a number of approaches that the other team was likely going to make use of, a quick look at her map along with her understanding of the terrain yielded no less than four separate approaches.

"This isn't good, we only have three tanks so there's no way that we can overlook all of them and I don't want us to be spread out," she remarked as she considered her options, no matter how hard she tried she constantly found herself wishing that she could have had either Leopon or Turtle to support her, either of them would have provided her with some much-needed fire support. "No doubt captain Nishizumi will send Isobe-senpai up one of them to scout out our position, I can't risk them relaying our position but then that might just leave the road wide open for the rest of the enemy team to come through. Geez, this position really isn't helping us," she sighed as she came to realize that this plan had been a waste of time. Already the second setback the young girl had to endure after she had failed to take into account that the marshy area to her right simply rendered her original plan useless, leaving her with a backup plan that was less than ideal.

Having another look at her map and thinking it through Azusa could reach but only one conclusion, they would need to abandon this position and take up one that was more favorable for them to defend from. "This is Rabbit, we're pulling back from this location, please move to the following point and be aware of your surroundings," Azusa mentioned over the tank's radio, informing the commanders of the other two tanks under her command of her plans.

Two quick acknowledgments of the plan came in over the radio, signaling that the other commanders had accepted her order which made Azusa feel a bit more relieved as she felt rather nervous about giving orders to the older students.

As the tank began to move back Azusa kept watching their immediate surroundings, always alert with regards to any potential ambushes as she was under no illusion that the Type 89 was likely already somewhere nearby, with that in mind she kept on scanning the area.

"Karina, make sure that the engine doesn't make too much noise, I don't want them to find us yet," she informed her driver as slowly the tank began to quicken its pace.

Returning to studying her map Azusa finally thought that she had found a location that would still provide them with some good fields of fire while being easier to defend, the only problem was that that they would need to cross an open area that was going to leave them vulnerable to enemy fire.

"We don't have a choice, well it's not like Mallard or Duck are much of a threat but I dread it if we were to come under fire from Anglerfish, Isuzu-senpai is really good," she let out as she gazed again on the map, trying to figure out if there was perhaps a different route that would leave them less exposed. "It's no good, all of the other routes just take far too long and the longer it takes the bigger the chance that they're going to find us before we get there."

Contacting the other vehicles she instructed them to make haste as speed was of the essence, however, she also stressed that at all times they would need to remain aware of their surroundings to avoid getting caught in an ambush.

Once the other crews had radioed in their approval she informed the rest of her own crew to go and have a look, if they were to see anything suspicious they were to report it immediately, once she was finishing with issuing her orders Azusa let out a deep exasperated sigh.

"Who knew that being in command could be so exhausting," she sighed, feeling as if her body was about to give out and they hadn't even gotten into a fight, she couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be when their captain was under those intense moments when a split second delay would mean the difference between making the kill or being the one to get killed. To have such a responsibility thrust on one's shoulders was a heavy burden alright, for a moment it made the young girl question if she was really cut out for this, had her captain made the right choice in picking her for commanding this team.

"I doubt I could ever be as good as captain Nishizumi is," she said underneath her breath as she picked her binoculars and peeked out through the cupola, the fresh air blowing in her face doing her good. "Why did she even put me in command here, I'm not that good, I just wish I knew why she decided to pick me instead of others. Wait, don't tell me?"

Azusa shot up straight as a cold shiver ran down her spine at the realization that possibly Miho had selected her because she was looking for somebody to take over when she herself would graduate, as if the prospect of becoming the second in command wasn't already scary enough at it was, the mere thought of having to take over from Miho was outright terrifying. Letting her hand rest against her chest Azusa felt an aching sensation, her breath caught in her throat and the palms of her hands becoming sweaty. "… I-I… can't…"

It was enough to almost paralyze her, her mind going numb for a while, not even noticing it when Saki began to pull on her sleeve until the quiet girl gave a hard tug.

"Eh, S-Saki?!" Azusa blurted as she suddenly found herself staring in said girl's brown eyes. "W-What… is it. Did you see something?"

Not saying a word in return, the quiet girl simply just pointed in one very specific direction, in response Azusa brought up her binoculars and began searching in the direction hinted at by Saki. What she saw was exactly what she had been afraid of. "No! Everybody stop!"

* * *

In the cupola of her Type 89, Noriko grimaced as she watched how the opposing team, without prior warning, began pulling back from their current position in good order, "This isn't good, I wonder if they somehow managed to spot us, or perhaps there's something else going on."

The wheels in her head were turning as she sought to come with an explanation as to why their opponents had decided to abandon their current position though a curt look at the map told her already enough. Their commander had likely realized that with four separate means of approach that it was all but impossible to hold the position currently occupied by them.

Telling Taeko to inform the captain of the sudden movement Noriko kept a vigilant watch from the cupola of her tank, making a note in which direction the three tanks were moving and at what speed. "You certainly seem to be in a hurry, I wonder where you're going."

Lowering herself in the cupola she addressed her driver. "Shinobu, make sure you keep up with them when I tell you to but stick to cover as much as you can, we don't want to get spotted by them."

Once she was satisfied that there was enough distance between them and the others tanks she gave the order to Shinobu to start the engine again but also to keep the noise down as much as possible as she didn't want to give away their position or their presence for that matter.

"Just got word from Anglerfish, they're moving along with Mallard, we're told to keep shadowing the enemy force but not to engage them unless we absolutely have to. If possible we should keep track if any of the tanks are going to split off from the rest and report those."

Noriko nodded in acknowledgment of those orders, she fully understood what her captain had in mind, and they would look to separate one of the enemy tanks, isolate it from its support and then take it out using their superior numbers. Rinse and repeat would see them negate the other side's advantage in raw firepower.

The problem was, of course, getting one of their tanks to split off from the rest in the first place, they had to pick the right target but she felt certain that Azusa wasn't going to fall for just any bait, much like she had done herself the younger girl paid close attention to whenever their captain analyzed a situation. "You're not gonna fall for any trick, we have to make it an appealing target for you otherwise you're not gonna chase it, are you. I doubt that we're good enough for you."

She could present her own tank as a target but she doubted that any of the enemy commanders would fall for that, after all, their Type 89 wasn't that much of a threat which likely meant that they would be ranked lowest. Miho's Panzer IV would be the most obvious target though again she questioned on if any of the opposing team would break off from the rest and engage in a single duel against Anglerfish as that would only turn into a one-sided slaughter.

"Well I guess the only thing that we can do right now is to keep watch of them though I'd love to get in there and mess up their plan," she grinned, taking a certain sense of satisfaction as she imagined their tank rampaging in the enemy ranks causing mayhem and confusion.

"Commander, is there anything wrong?" Akebi asked from inside the turret as she noticed that her commander had been rather quiet for a while now and she had grown a little worried as that wasn't like her at all. "Did the enemy spot us, or is there something else?"

"Ah no," Noriko quickly answered in returned. "It's just that there's not much we can do at the moment other than keeping a watch on them but I don't like sitting here around doing nothing. I'd like to get stuck in right now but it'll be hard to approach them undetected."

Nodding her head in agreement the blonde knew what the shorter girl was talking about, gazing through the sights of her gun she had been able to get a look at the terrain and much like Noriko had said it wasn't the kind of terrain that would allow them to get any closer than they were at the moment. Not unless they wanted to get spotted and then get every gun aimed at them, they couldn't afford to take a direct hit so not being fired at in the first place was their best defense. Well that was just how things were at the moment.

So far it remained awfully quiet on the opposing side and as Noriko brought up her binoculars to have another look she was faced with a scene that caused her blood to run cold, the enemy had came to a halt but more concerning was that their turrets were turning in their direction, the distinctive shape of the StuG's and Chi-Nu's muzzle breaks aimed directly at them.

"Shinobu, gun the engine now! Get us out of here!" Noriko shouted as they didn't have any second to spare before an explosion tore up the ground in front of their tank, a second volley of shells landed perilously close to them, throwing up great clouds of dust and sand around the tank.

Flooring the throttle Shinobu threw their tank into the next gear as they scrambled to get away before one of the enemy shells would eventually find their mark, reluctantly she found herself admitting that the enemy spotters had been doing their job alright to have seen them.

"Hard right! Avoid those spikes!" Noriko shouted as their tank lurched to one side mere moments before another shell exploded where they had been only moments before, rocks and other debris clattering harmlessly off the armored hull as Duck team sought to escape its assailants. "Now, hard le-!" Was all Noriko could get past her lips as she got abruptly interrupted when their tank was violently jerked to the left as an enemy shell found its mark, striking the vehicle's rear.

* * *

 **Author's note** : Well folks, there it is, the newest chapter to Aftermath for you all to enjoy. The update is a little slower than I had wanted but this past month has been very busy at work and making roughly 3 hours of overtime every single day takes a severe toll on one's ability to read and edit material. Just glad that I was able to get this finished and it posted.

I hope that you all had a very pleasant Christmas with your family, loved ones, friends and those who you hold dear. Savor and cherish the days that you get to spend with them and be certain to savor those you have yet to spend with them.

Hopefully, you've found the chapter to be enjoyable. As always I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts, opinions, and any other kind of ramblings you might wish to hurl in my general direction. If you spot anything or just want to have a talk, feel free to contact me.

Can't exactly say if I can manage to get the next chapter posted in January as the month is going to be pretty busy again but I'm going to give it my best and try, if not then it'll likely be somewhere in the later half of February. I still have a lot planned for this story so expect to see plenty of new chapters then.

Anyway, I'm going to wrap this up quickly before these author's notes turn into an essay of their own. Once again happy holidays to you all and already have a good New Year's eve.

Right, that's enough of my rambling.

Until next time, enjoy the holidays, looking forward to seeing you all again in the New Year, and take care folks.


	4. Accepting one's Mistakes!

**Accepting one's Mistakes!**

' _Oh that was way too close,'_ ran through Noriko's mind as she wiped the sweat off her forehead after having narrowly escaped their pursuers, it had gotten dangerously close when an enemy shell had slammed into the rear of their tank though luckily the rear mounted skid took the brunt of the force, its twisted, mangled form a stark reminder of just how lucky they had been. _'We need to get away from this place as quickly as possible, I don't think we're going to be that lucky a second time and we-.'_ Pulled from her thoughts as another volley of shells caused the vehicle to rock back and forth Noriko shouted to Shinobu to give it everything she got.

"Use whatever cover you can get between them and us, we can't afford to get hit again!" climbing up in her cupola she began to search for anything that their tank could use to shield itself not only from the incoming fire but also from the enemy's sight.

"What should we do now?" Akebi could be heard asking as she had a look through the rear hatch as well to assess the damage. "Whoa, they almost got us there didn't they?"

"Yeah," Noriko said underneath her breath as she thought of what to do next, they already had the enemy's fullest attention and likely they were bearing down on them as they spoke. "Taeko, let the captain know that the enemy has spotted us and that we're retreating to a safer location. Also, report that we took some minor damage but otherwise we're okay," she relayed her orders to her radio operator up front, the first thing that Noriko wanted to do was to gain a better understanding of their current situation.

As the next incoming salvo never came the diminutive girl began to wonder if the enemy had given up on bombarding them, listening to try and pick up any sounds that would betray another incoming round it remained deceptively quiet, a little too quiet, for her comfort.

"Do you want me to return fire on them?" the blonde haired gunner asked as she resumed her position at the gun's sights but Noriko was quick to inform her that under no circumstance she was to open fire on the enemy team. The firing of their main gun was going to give their position away and right now they needed to break contact fast, up ahead a series of rocks looked like the perfect spot for them to gain some cover. Noriko grinned as she felt her blood was up.

A quick gaze at her watch told her that it had been close to five minutes by now since the last shots had rocked their tank, somehow it felt wrong to think that the enemy team had given up all of a sudden. It was true that they had managed to break visual contact with the enemy and that they were no longer spotted but it didn't make much, if any, sense that on the drop of a hat everything was quiet.

Bringing up her binocs she was scanning their surroundings for any signs that the enemy might be coming after them, with any luck one of the commanders might be overcome with the desire to kill which would allow Duck team to turn this situation to their advantage. "Come on, show yourselves, and don't tell you already lost your appetite."

Listening she could tell that their opponents were still on the move, the distinct rumbling of their engines combined with the telltale clattering of their tracks told Noriko that all three of the enemy vehicles were on the move but she was struggling to pinpoint their location or from which direction they were coming but as she concentrated on them she could tell they were coming closer. "Could it be?" she asked herself as she quickly scanned their immediate surroundings before the girl cursed herself the moment she realized their predicament. "Dammit, Shinobu gun the engine and get moving before we're surrounded!"

If her hunch was right then the enemy had likely split up and was even now working their way forward in an effort to cut of Duck team from the others, it was a clever idea, their Type 89 stood no chance against even one of the enemy tanks and if they had to deal with all three of the enemy tanks would spell certain doom for them. She had to hand it to Azusa for coming up with it, to think that she hadn't even noticed it sooner. _'I hope we have enough time left.'_

Barely had she finished that thought or the rumbling noises grew louder right before the Chi-Nu rumbled into view, cutting off one of their routes of escape, its large turret already slowly turning in their direction, the distinctive shape of its muzzle break coming into view as it sought to bring its gun to bear on them.

But before it had the chance to fire the large shape Mallard's Char B-1bis ploughed onto the scene, its dual armament opening fire on the unsuspecting Japanese tank, while its shots went wide it didn't take long for them to find the range as the shot crept closer and closer to Anteater until one round smacked into the side of the turret but to no effect. Suddenly aware of the new and immediate threat to their side Anteater reacted accordingly, turning their hull to have their frontal armor facing the French tank while their own turret swung around as Piyotan worked frantically in an effort to get the Char in her gun sights. Coming to a halt, the Char resumed fire, making the most now that both gunners enjoyed the increase in accuracy as they brought down a barrage of 47mm and 75mm shells on the Chi-Nu though the relative weak penetrating performance of their two guns meant that they were doing little than damaging Anteater's paint job. But they had at least succeeded in drawing their attention away from Duck

"Duck, can you hear me? This is Mallard. Get out of here as fast as you can, we'll keep them busy while you pull back. Rendezvous with the captain." Came in through their radio, the voice of the French tank's commander loud and clear. They had been given an opportunity to escape, they had better not let it go to waste although Noriko felt a little reluctant about letting Mallard take on the daunting task of engaging Anteater.

"Shinobu, you heard them, get us out of here," the diminutive tank commander relayed her orders to her driver, the sound of tanks exchanging fire audible, they needed to leave now as no doubt the rest of the enemy was likely to show up at any moment now. Throwing one last look at the French tank fighting of Anteater she wished them the best, they were going to need it, and she lost sight of them once the Type 89 disappeared around a corner.

* * *

Kicking up a cloud of dust as their StuG kept going forward as fast as Oryou felt comfortable with, Hippo was rushing forward in an attempt to prevent the enemy from linking up, they were aware of the Type 89 being somewhere to their right but they had decided to keep on pushing forward in an effort to cut off the lighter tank.

Their decision remained unchanged as news got in that Mallard had been spotted and was even now engaging Anteater, feeling confident that the gamer girls were going to handle the Char they continued their advance.

Their side held the advantages in firepower and mobility though that didn't mean that they could be reckless as the opposing side had the great equalizer in any training match, Anglerfish, and their panzer IV. Inside her own thoughts, Caesar agreed with Azusa's plan on trying to take down Duck and Mallard first, isolating them from the rest of the team and taking them out before Anglerfish could come to their aid, those two tanks were deemed as the weakest link. Of course neither of the two was going to make it easy for them and already Duck had proven to be a tenacious opponent though it didn't come as a surprise as they had all seen how the members of the Volleyball Club were during a match, unfazed, unshakable and not afraid of taking on tanks bigger than them, it was what made them such a fearsome opponent. For a brief moment, the loader pondered on the question what would happen if that team were to be given a more potent vehicle than the hopelessly outdated Type 89 they had.

"A terrifying thought isn't it?" Erwin remarked as she read Caesar's face, the same thought had surfaced with her as she pondered on what Duck was going to do next as they had to be aware that the other enemy tanks were closing in on them.

"They're not gonna make it easy, I feel like we're the ones walking right into a trap, not them, like the Battle of Krasnogvardeysk," she continued as there was a bad feeling in her stomach.

"If we're not careful it might become more like the Battle of Teutoburg Forest," Caesar said in return, feeling a similar eerie sense at how their advance was progressing, it wasn't made any easier with the knowledge that Duck had appeared which was actually the slowest of the enemy tanks so it didn't make much sense that they hadn't seen the panzer IV so far, and in her mind that could mean only one thing. The sense of tension in the air was thick inside the vehicle's cramped fighting compartment. "Erwin, take a look at our surroundings, I don't like it that we haven't seen Anglerfish yet. Keep your eyes open for any signs."

Too busy with navigating the difficult terrain Oryou chose not to participate in the conversation going on behind her, right now she needed all of her concentration in order to keep the vehicle straight as the terrain was proving difficult to traverse.

Behind the silent driver, Saemonza felt similar, although she found herself irking to make a remark, but she had more pressing issues as she constantly peering through her sight in order to try and catch a glimpse of an enemy tank, given the various side roads they might not even get a warning until they were virtually on top of it. She would need to react quickly, even more so if that tank were to be Anglerfish.

Opening her hatch and climbing up, Erwin brought up the binoculars that hung around her neck and peered through them in an effort to try and locate their opponents, much to her relief there was nothing out there. "Oryou, turn right at the next crossing," Erwin remarked as she noticed a point just up ahead from where they could turn, and hopefully, intercept their quarry. "Alright, everybody look sharp, we might get only one shot at this so we-." She didn't get to finish her sentence, profoundly cursing their ill-fated luck, as through her binoculars she caught sight of something far more worrying.

"Ambush!" Erwin cried out as she reported it to Caesar, voice rising in urgency as their problem was about to become a whole lot worse. Through her binoculars the blonde-haired reki-jo had seen the one tank they had been trying to avoid, the panzer IV, it meant that they were in a tight spot. "Oh shit!" she exclaimed as she saw the tank react to them, putting their situation rather eloquently, snapping her binoculars down as she ducked back inside the tank's armored interior right before Anglerfish fired. Grasping the microphone's neckpiece, she reported it to Azusa, debris clattered across the outside, a testimony to how close to them the shot must have been.

And right then the small Type 89 appeared behind them, trapping them. "Well, this escalated pretty quickly," Saemonza remarked when she and the others noticed it, their little fubar situation had just got even worse.

* * *

"Pull back, senpai! Don't engage Anglerfish!" Azusa almost shouted through her radio when she received the news that Hippo was currently engaging not only Noriko's Type 89 but also, and far more worrying, Miho's panzer IV which was anything but what she wanted. "Break contact with Anglerfish at the earliest opportunity and make your way to a safe location, Anteater and us will come to offer support once we've finished Mallard."

This wasn't good; she had hoped that she could have taken out the other two tanks before Miho would get involved as she knew that she was going to need the combined firepower of all three of her tanks in order to even have a chance of taking down her captain. "We need to take down Mallard as soon as possible, otherwise Hippo won't last long, they can manage Duck fine but I fear that Anglerfish will be too dangerous for them to handle on their own. We can't allow Hippo to be taken out by captain Nishizumi!"

The atmosphere inside the tank was becoming tenser after Azusa having mentioned Miho's name, the first years acutely aware that there was a massive gap when it came to skill and the prospect of having to go and take on the captain's tank with only two of their own scared them. "Karina, pick up the pace, we need to wrap this up as quickly as possible."

"Right!" came the response from the driver as the vehicle's engine noise became louder. Up high in her seat, Azusa could even feel the tank tilt a little as Karina whisked it in a tight circle, perhaps even tighter than the brunette felt safe with.

"Karina, get us there as fast as possible. Aya, Ayumi, Saki, get the guns ready. We need to take out Mallard as fast as possible so we can link up with Hippo," she informed the rest of her crew, they needed to act fast or they would risk losing their most powerful vehicle. Though to be honest she was painfully aware that it might already be too late to save the StuG, it presented her with a difficult choice, either rush to finish of Mallard and then hurry in trying to reach Hippo and risk rushing into a trap or to be certain that Mallard was out and risk losing Hippo. Neither was a particularly good option but a choice had to be made.

"Make sure that you get those rounds loaded as fast as you can, we need to take them out as quickly possible so make your shots count. I don't want to waste more time that we have to in taking out Mallard, Hippo is counting on us," she ordered before turning her attention back to observing the situation from the cupola, right now she needed to have a firm grasp of the situation and direct her own tank and Anteater as efficiently as possible.

Although their main gun wasn't the most powerful gun in Ooarai's arsenal, it was more than adequate for taking out a tank like the Char, of course if possible Azusa would prefer to be able to get a shot to their enemies' weaker side in order to increase their chance of taking the tank out of the match. That said she felt a little disappointed in the fact that Anteater hadn't been able yet to dispense with the Char, and the young girl was having trouble in hiding her frustration at this setback but there was little that she could do about it.

All there was left for her was to pray that Hippo could hold out long enough for the others to catch up with them, she had rolled her die, now she would abide by the results of that throw.

Though to be honest she dreaded the most likely outcome of this little training session, standing up in the cupola of her tank she began to notice that she was having trouble with keeping herself standing, somehow it felt like there was something wrong with her legs.

Were it her nerves that were playing parts on her, or was it merely the first sign of something far worse, either way, she couldn't waste time on such matters, and as such she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

* * *

Despite the clear benefits of their shooting, the fact that in order for the Char B-1bis to use its twin guns effective it had to remain stationary also meant that it was an easy target for any kind of return fire, a short moment later this was made clear when Rabbit came rounding a corner and began to add its firepower to that of Anteater, both tanks training their 75mm main guns on the heavy French tank, opening fire they led out a deafening barrage of shells.

Within the armored hull of their tank, Sodoko and her two compatriots were struggling to remain in their seats as several shells found their mark and slammed into the vehicle.

"I'm so going to report this, this is against the rules!" Sodoko gritted her teeth as she was nearly flung from the commander's seat following a particularly violent hit that seemed to shake their entire vehicle, still rocking back and forth as the noise outside seemed to die down she led out a sigh of relief. Seconds later, a horrible sounding shearing noise came from somewhere up front, Sodoko knew instantly that something bad had happened.

"Oh no!" Pazomi cried out, confirming the commander's fears as she did in the process, "They knocked out the main gun, we can't use it anymore. What should we do?!"

It happened all so abruptly before any of the three girls had any idea what was going on they were literally flung, in a rather violent manner, throughout the tank's interior. Outside the armored hull it sounded like somebody had unleashed Hell on them, one round after another smashing against the steel plates that made up the tank's armor, her ears were left ringing as shell after shell struck their vehicle and Sodoko pressed her hands firmly against her ears in an effort to dampen the noise but to little avail, her relief not coming until the bombardment died down.

Inside the now inoperable vehicle, a few mumbled groans gave away the disgruntled state of the tank's crew, the two enemy tanks hadn't exactly been gentle with their fire and that last hit had been particularly nasty. Clutching her head between her knees Sodoko felt like she was about to throw up as a nauseating sense washed over her. "I guess… that's it… for us…" she breathed underneath her teeth, a throbbing sensation at the front of her head causing her to want to close her eyes and grab some rest, she was glad that for them it was over.

Righting herself she brought her hand up and pressed the neck of her microphone in order to radio the status of her tank to Miho, for them the fight was over, and that meant that the others would now have to deal with all three of the enemy's' armored might.

"… Captain, we're out, we did what we could but they teamed up on us… we did get them to expend a lot of ammo on us… good luck. Mallard out," she said before she turned off the radio, leaning back in her seat and felt with her hand at the spot where she still felt the throbbing sensation, sure enough, it was a nasty bruise where she apparently had hit her head. "Let's head back, I'm tired," she informed the other two members of her crew, their part in this fight was over, the others would determine the outcome of this fight, all that was left for them to do was to wait for the recovery vehicle to come retrieve their stricken vehicle and bring them back to the garage. There they would find out who had won.

* * *

"Miporin, I just got word from Mallard, they're out," Saori said as she looked over her shoulder towards the tank's commander, informing her friend of the situation, and of the loss of one of their tanks. "From what she told me they kept both Anteater and Rabbit busy but I guess they're already on their way."

Nodding her head in response as she acknowledged that information Miho wasn't surprised with that outcome, the main guns on both the M3 and the Chi-Nu were more than capable of knocking out the Char from the front at most ranges though she was impressed that it had required the combined might of both tanks to finally silence the Renault. "Alright then, let's take care of Hippo as quickly as possible."

"Shell's already loaded," Yukari informed the other turret crew and Hana in particular, "You know, I'm kind of feeling bad for Hippo in that they ran into us first. We're likely the last ones that they wanted to have run into."

"There's not much we can do about it," Hana said in return as she briefly looked away from her gun's sights, "There's no telling who you might run into during a match, all that there's left is for us to knock them out. Or for them to get lucky and take us out."

"Hana-san's right," Miho joined the two girls. "It's simply us or them, and this match isn't going to end until one team is taking out. It might be unfortunate for them but it's their own fault because they were being a little reckless in their pursuit of Duck. There's also nothing wrong with them losing, as long as they've learned from this then I'm happy."

The others listened carefully to what Miho had to say, reminding them once again that the goal of this match wasn't for one side to win, but rather for the other teams to act a little more independently and come up with their own plans. Most of all were for Azusa to gain more experience in commanding a larger group, something that was going to be done for several others later on as well. Well, that would be something for another day, first things first, and that meant bringing this little training session to an end.

Once everybody was back at the tank sheds Miho was planning to go over what had happened with each team individually, she was also playing with the idea of letting each tank's respective commander write down their views in a report. Hopefully, that would help them in reflecting on their actions and decisions, a way to enable them to let it sink in with them and learn from it, Ooarai needed to become even stronger for next year.

As at the moment they could not count on new team members or new vehicles the only thing they were left with, for the time being, was to train the current existing crews. Experience and training could act as a force multiplier though it could only take the team so far, Ooarai needed reinforcements and it needed them badly.

"Let's take care of Hippo first," Miho remarked, signaling for Mako to get their vehicle into position before letting her hand rest on Hana's shoulder, she signaled that the graceful gunner could open fire whenever she was ready.

* * *

"This is really starting to resemble the Battle of Okehazama, the battle where Oda Nobunaga and his troops executed a brilliant ambush against Imagawa Yoshimoto before slaughtering them all," Saemonza suggested as their vehicle lurched hard to the side, "Though with the way this battle is going, we'll be the ones suffer the same fate as Imagawa Yoshimoto and his men."

"To be honest the massacre at Kurikara comes to mind," interjected Oryou as she struggled to get the StuG to turn in order to bring their gun to bear on the target, with the way that Anglerfish kept maneuvering the limited traverse of their long barreled 75mm was becoming a real handicap as they didn't get the opportunity to line up for a shot.

"Anglerfish is making this damn hard," Erwin gritted her teeth, "I would've preferred it if this battle was more like the one where Unteroffizier Horst Naumann was able to knock out 12 enemy tanks in a single action using his Sturmgeschütz during the fighting in the Demyansk area. But I doubt we're going to be anywhere near as lucky as he was."

The StuG's fate was sealed when a lucky shot from Duck destroyed their idler wheel, causing the vehicle to throw its tracks, and leaving it stranded with no longer any means to bring its main gun to bear on its opponents, with that it was left defenseless.

"Well I guess that's it," Saemonza said underneath her breath as she pulled back in her seat, there was no longer any point to peering through the gun's sights. They were done for, and as much as it pained her, she accepted their fate. "Wish I could've land a shot on Anglerfish."

"We've stopped dead in our tracks and much like how it went at Bibracte, the Romans are waiting patiently for the onrushing Gauls!" Caesar declared, folding her red scarf over her shoulder as she made herself a little more comfortable, they all knew what was coming.

Shaking her head in disapproval Saemonza shot her a glance and asked, "Can you please stop using analogies where we're the ones taking the role of the losing side? Ah just forget it."

Presented with such an easy kill Anglerfish was quick to deliver the killing blow, removing Hippo from the match in the process, and reducing Azusa's forces while denying them the further usage of such a powerful vehicle.

* * *

"I see, thank you for your efforts, senpai," Azusa said, offering her thanks to the crew of Hippo, but it was yet another painful setback that she could ill afford at the moment. The message wasn't the kind of news she had hoped to hear, after having taken out Mallard she really wished that Hippo had been successful in intercepting and eliminating Duck but from what she had been told the StuG had run into Miho's panzer IV instead, with a rather unsurprising outcome.

She had been counting on being able to use all three of their vehicles in order to take out Miho but now that plan was no longer an option and Azusa questioned on whether or not the remaining two tanks were going to be enough for the task at hand.

Briefly, she considered if forfeiting the match was an option but as she gave it some thought she could only come to the conclusion that it was not the way to end this match, it was not the way that Miho had taught them all. _'The captain would never give up, I can't give up either, I'd embarrass the captain after she picked me to lead the team, and yet…'_

She wasn't left with any other option other than to continue and to attack Miho and take her out to or to get taken out while trying, that was her only choice, even with the odds stacked against her Azusa became aware that she needed to be bold. _'If we attack fast enough then they might not expect it. Would that really work? Wouldn't the captain expect that anyway?'_

No doubt Miho would already be on the move, advancing quickly in order to strike her next target before they could react or reorganize their forces. It shouldn't come as a surprise, their captain made full use of the mobility offered by the tank, the longer that Azusa kept pondering the closer Miho would get to their position.

' _I need to make a decision, I need to decide what we're going to do now,'_ she thought, being reminded how different it was to command a team compared to when it was just a single tank, this team was just three tanks, which paled to what Miho had commanded against stronger opponents, which only fueled her admiration for said girl.

"Hey Azusa, what do you want to do next?" Aya asked her as she reached out and tapped her commander on the shoulder, the brunette had been a bit too silent far longer than she was comfortable with.

"Hey c'mon, we can't stay here and wait for the others to show up," the twin tail said.

Finally snapping out of her thoughts Azusa looked and found her staring her gunner in the face, looking further she noticed that the rest of her crew had also been waiting for instructions. Without a doubt, the crew of Anteater was likely also awaiting further orders.

Letting out a frustrated sigh she told herself that she was just a terrible leader, now when it was so crucial to give clear orders and be an example to the others. Giving herself a quick slap to the cheeks she pulled herself together.

"Karina, we're moving towards Hippo's last known position, keep us going at a steady pace. Yuuki can you call Anteater for me and let them know that we'll be taking point. They are to follow us and bring up the rear, also tell them to have their turret rotated to the rear just in case Duck might try to sneak up on us," she gave out her orders, this was going to be it.

* * *

From the vantage point offered by the cupola of her panzer IV Miho could see the enemy tanks moving, much as she had expected Azusa had reorganized what remained of her forces and was moving together. "Clever, you did the right thing there. Still, it took you a bit longer than you had to, well you'll get better at it with more practice."

Noting the composition of the formation she was again impressed by the choice made by Azusa, with its main gun fixed in the hull it made sense to have the M3 take the lead while having the Chi-Nu to cover the rear using its turret mounted armament.

"I guess we're going to have to keep this short," Miho mentioned as she had a quick look at her watch, already this practice match had lasted for longer than she had expected it to be, hard to imagine that it had already been a few hours since they had left the tank sheds.

"So Nishizumi-dono, what are you planning on?" Yukari asked as she climbed up from the hatch on the loader's side of the turret, holding onto the handrails, she had gotten a little curious on what their next course of action was going to be. "I think it might be a little cruel if we were to take on Azusa-san and the other first years, still you have to admit they did a pretty good job."

"Not as good as us," Mako chimed in on the conversation, standing on her seat the diminutive driver barely got her head past the open hatch, "Otherwise they'd do better."

"Don't you think that's a little harsh on them?" Hana remarked, in her usual polite tone, as she joined in as well, "I mean they're up against us so I think it's a little unfair to expect too much of them. Like Yukari-san said, they did really good this match."

Not to be left out of it Saori was the last one to join, adding her own opinion to the matter though it did little to get the conversation going any further. There still remained some mixed views on the performance of Azusa as a team commander though as it had been pointed out this was only her first time so the expectations had to be kept a little down.

"She'll get better at it eventually, it's not easy being in command of an entire team as there's a lot more work the commander has to do," Miho summarized, "Next to commanding her own tank she also has to command and coordinate the others tanks and that task only gets harder the more tanks are in the team to command. I really had a hard time when we fought against the University. Azusa-san's, making a few mistakes here and there but that's to be expected, all in all, she's doing pretty well. Now let's go down there and see how she's going to react, Mako-san can you try and keep the noise down? I want to take them by surprise."

"Sure." Was the response as the driver acknowledged the order and slid back down her seat.

Seeing as they were going into action the others all got back inside the tank, closing their hatches behind them, all of them except for Miho. She was looking forward to how the first years were going to react to a sudden but ferocious surprise attack, one way or another this practice match was going to end. Pressing the microphone on her throat she gave the order, "Panzer Vor."

* * *

Inside her tank, moving in synch with the gentle rocking motion of the vehicle as it traversed the uneven ground, Azusa had her head clutched between her knees, ever since she had regained consciousness she had been feeling ashamed at how her actions had been directly responsible for her team's loss.

Just in front of her Aya wasn't sure what to make of her commanders continuing silence, sure they had lost but then wasn't this kind of to be expected given who they were up again. _'It's not like it's a bad thing that we lost to the captain, I mean she's the Ace of Ooarai. I think it's actually great that we managed to last that long against them given how much they stand above us.'_ Exchanging looks with Saki she was left with the impression that the normally quiet girl didn't know what to do with their commander's sudden reserved mood.

' _Still, I don't like this,'_ ran through her mind as she risked a glance across her shoulder, seizing up her commander and noticing much to her disappointed that nothing had changed. _'This really isn't good, I hope she manages to pull herself out of it, I wish there was something I could say to cheer her up. Maybe we should take her somewhere nice.'_

Not saying a word Karina had decided to keep herself focused on getting the tank back in the garage, Azusa's continuing silence had an unsettling effect on the mood inside the tank but there was little that she could do about it at the moment. Maybe her commander would be better once the tank was back inside and they could all exit the vehicle, however that would have to wait until the metal beast was back where it belonged.

Behind her, she could hear how Yuuki and Ayumi were talking in a hushed tone to avoid their commander hearing them though Karina herself guessed that with how withdrawn Azusa appeared to her that she questioned if said girl would notice anything at the moment.

The mood inside the steel hull was becoming dark and even the breeze of fresh air that came in through the open hatches could do little to expel the damp atmosphere that had taken hold.

It had all gone wrong so fast, one moment they were advancing at a good pace and the next they found themselves in what could only be described as a knife fight against both Anglerfish and Duck. After that, it simply had gone from bad to worse.

The part that shamed Azusa most was that she could barely remember what had happened during those last crucial moments, for some inexplicable reason, her mind went numb. At a critical moment, her tank was left without a commander to direct the flow of battle, with a predictable if yet disastrous, outcome. Both tanks had been taking out within split seconds by the enemy, taking full advantage of the momentary lapse in orders.

It was her fault, she was the only person to blame for this outcome, she had been picked as the team's commander by Miho, and she had not only failed her own team but her team's captain as well. The one person she admired the most and this way how she how she returned the gesture and confidence that Miho had placed in her.

It was enough to make Azusa feel sick, a knot stuck somewhere in her stomach, already she wasn't feeling that good when she thought about having to face Miho during the debriefing.

' _I don't think she's going to be happy, no doubt she's going to be disappointed with me. She gave me command of the team and we lost. I don't think that she's going to scold me or anything, still, I don't like it, I don't want her to tell me that I disappointed her.'_

"Well, we're there. The sheds are just up ahead." She could hear her driver mention, those were the kind of words that she wasn't so keen on hearing at the moment as it meant that she could no longer avoid the inevitable. She was going to have to face the verdict of her captain and it was one she feared, there was no denying in her mind that she had messed up.

' _I don't want to go through with this. But I can't avoid her, I can't prevent her from seeing us and giving us her opinion, no matter how hard I might try she's going to tell us what she feels. There's no way for me to avoid this, I have to face it, even though I'm scared…'_

While the rest of her crew seem relieved that they could finally relax and get some rest after the debriefing she was anxious about it, she hated the idea of having to face Miho, she just wanted for it to already be over so she could go home. Leaning back in her seat she craned her neck up, letting her shoulders drop, as she found herself gazing upwards through the open hatch of the tank's cupola at the blue sky.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – Student Council office - 16.20h_

"Well, it seems like they're all back," Yuzu remarked as she watched how the last of the tanks drove into the sheds, reporting things to Anzu and Momo as she saw fit, "I guess it must've been a pretty rough match, some of the teams look like they went through the grinder."

"Serves them right!" the monocle-eyed girl proclaimed loudly, shaking her fist in the air as she did, "That'll get them into shape, our training should be harder than the actual battles we fight. They'll need to get a lot better as we won't be there to help them next year, it's a shame but there's not much we can do about it. Furthermore, we should-."

"Kawashima, too long," Anzu interrupted her then and there, still chewing on her favorite snack she gestured that there wasn't any need to repeat something that they all know. And they did have other matters to focus their attention on. "Besides the losing team was fighting against Nishizumi-chan, it's not like they had a lot of chance of beating her. We all know that."

She hadn't bothered to read which side had lost but she felt confident in her own judgment and had reasoned that the better side with the better lead team had won, in that case, it was rather simple. Of course, she would be pleasantly surprised if somebody had managed to take that girl out, which would bode well for the future of the team.

"If only Shimada-san had decided to stay instead of transferring to another school," Momo remarked, pinching the bridge of her nose as she recalled what could only be described as a rather painful moment.

"Don't worry about it Kawashima, what's happened has happened. I would've been really great if we have Shimada-chan here as well along with Nishizumi-chan, but oh well," the diminutive twin tail said while waving around with a piece of sweet potato. That was until she turned to her left and turned her gaze on the brunette and asked, "Oh Koyama, have you heard anything from that store where we placed the order for the new gun?"

Skimming through the notes she always kept at hand Yuzu gave the answer. "I'm afraid not, I'd hoped that they'd have it by now but sadly it doesn't seem to be the case. If you want I can give them a call tomorrow and ask how things are going, they might have an estimate for us."

"Great idea," Anzu said in return, giving her approval to that suggestion. It was only a small increase in performance but it was an improvement nonetheless, one that was still welcome.

"While it will have to suffice for now, it would be good if we could further enhance some of our other vehicles as well," Momo interjected as she pointed out one of their other problems that needed to be addressed before a new student council would take over.

"I don't think we'll need to worry about it," the twin tail replied before turning around in her chair, leaning forward she reached out and picked up one of the photo's that were on the desk. "Given that the new student council, whoever they may be, will love this school as much as we do they'll help Nishizumi-chan wherever they can." Anzu wasn't worried anymore about the future of the school, they had made sure of that, still, the thought of leaving this school once she had graduated was something that made the diminutive girl feel a little sad.

"Ehm Prez," Yuzu called her out gently, she had seen that said girl was deep in her own thoughts so she really didn't want to disturb her but the fact was that they still had a certain matter to discuss. "We still have those to look into."

"She's right," Momo joined her, adjusting her pose as her eyes rested on a trio of envelopes, each containing a letter from a respective school, lying on Anzu's desk. They had been delivered earlier that day but so far they hadn't the opportunity to go through them. "We need to decide which one we'll accept first, I doubt we'll be able to handle all three requests at the same time."

Still nibbling Anzu didn't share Momo's opinion, in her mind it was rather easy to accept all of the requests, it just required for them to look closely at what was being asked. "We'll pick this one first," she said as she rested her hand on the one to her right, "This one is just a request for us attending their upcoming match, we can simply go there as visitors and not participants, which'll make it a lot easier for us."

The envelope she was holding was the one sent to them by Maginot, it had been a request made by their team's captain, Éclair, and after reading the letter carefully it seemed that they had a matched planned against Chihatan next week. It would be good to go and see the match, even if was just for the purpose of maintaining relationships with the other schools.

A handful of students could go, Anzu didn't see much reason for the entire team to go. "Koyama, could you pass it on to Nishizumi-chan and tell her that she can pick four people to go with her," Anzu filled her in, holding up four fingers to emphasize the number of people that could go and accompany the team's captain. That would be enough, and besides, there were still classes to be followed so not everybody could be allowed to be absent.

"What will we do then with the one we received from Viggen?" Momo asked as she held up the second letter, having read it closely she was aware of the rather odd request having been sent in by the school, Viggen apparently wanted for Ooarai to sent over a couple of students from Ooarai's tankery team to come and help train Viggen's own team, which apparently was struggling. Still, Momo wasn't entirely convinced by the reasons given in the letter as she felt hesitant about their students going and helping out another team.

"Let's try and first learn a bit more about what they can field, with any luck we might not need to send any tanks at all," Anzu answered it, it was only an invitation for setting up a training method though there were no further details given in the letter which meant that they would need to gather more info so they could come up with a strategy.

With the note board pressed against her chest Yuzu was now staring at the third and last of the letters sent to them. A letter, delivered to them, from a school that they hadn't heard of before.

"So what will we do with the last one? Do you think we should ask Nishizumi-san first?"

Nodding her head Anzu explained that it would likely be best if they did just that, they knew almost nothing about this school, so discussing it with Miho first was deemed as the best course of action. "Also try and figure out a little more about this one, I'd like to know who Tarczay High is. There's got to be a reason as to why they contacted us all of a sudden."

"Understood," Momo said, nodding her head, before turning around and making her way to the door. She was going to have to do some digging in order to learn more about this currently unknown school, once she had the information they would discuss it with Miho and formulate a plan before they would give their reply to the request for a friendly match. She would first go and look up with the schools registered for Tankery for any kind of information with regards to this Tarczay High.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – Tank sheds - 16.10h_

"Wow, they sure did a number on her," Hoshino let out as she had a good look at the damage that Mallard had been subjected to over the course of the training match, they were going to have their work cut out for them. "I know that training's important and all but did they really have to be so rough on her? Oh well, at least we've got something to keep us busy with."

Already with a wrench in her left hand Tsuchiya appeared next to her. "Yeah, this is gonna be fun. I've been waiting for a chance to pick her apart and see how that crazy system that connects the tanks drive to the traverse mechanism works. This'll be fun, I can't wait."

As the other two remaining members of their little group joined in as well a particular conversation was taking place as the four girls began to discuss various technical aspects that were simply lost on most of the other students present in the building. Not that it mattered.

Watching the odd conversation unfold Midoriko wasn't really sure what to make of it but she had learned never to interrupt the members of the automotive club when they were having such talk, and besides, there was no way that she would be able to effect repairs so she wasn't left with much of a choice. Besides, there were other things that she wanted to invest her time in and once Miho came to the front and had given the team her overview of the battle she would take her leave. In anticipation of that she and the other members of her crew already stood at the attention, waiting for what was going to happen soon.

They would not have to wait for long as Miho and the other members of Anglerfish took up their positions, the debriefing was about to begin, every student present feeling a slight sense of anxiety as they had never really gotten criticism from the commander before.

Normally the student council would shoulder that task but it seemed that as they were not present today that Miho took over the role, though given that she as the commander of the team had a far better insight on how to operate tanks it was only natural that she would be the one doing the debriefing, being less intimidating and more respected than Momo for instance, certainly would make it easier for the arrayed students to accept the captain's words.

Addressing the ranks of students present Miho, somewhat hesitant, first spoke out her thoughts on the match. "You all did really well today, a lot of you showed good tactical thought and insight. I'm really impressed by how you all performed, I think that we're definitely on the right track but I also want to point out that some mistakes were made."

Remaining silent for a moment to take in how this affected the girls Miho continued, "But that is nothing to be ashamed of, mistakes are made all the time, even the best teams make them. What's important is that we learn from our mistakes today, so that we won't repeat them again, as long as we keep striving to improve ourselves I have no doubt that we'll stand a really good chance to win the Nationals again next year. You can do it."

Seeing as the praise she gave them prompted a slight improvement in the demeanor from the girls as they registered the sincerity of the words addressed to them, Miho smiled, to them, it meant a lot to be praised by the girl they all adored and respected so much.

"Now I'd like for all tank commanders to write a report on today's match, please make sure that you describe your thoughts on how thing went for you, note as many details as you can. If you feel that something could have been done better then don't hesitate to write it down."

It seemed that this stirred a reaction as confused looks were being exchanged between several of the girls, some of them didn't seem to understand what was being asked of them. Besides this was something that none of them had done before so they had no idea what was being expected of them or these reports, next to the confusion about what one should write down in these there were also some worried concerns being expressed that one might get into trouble if they were to write down the wrong things.

Seeing it, Miho further explained what she wanted from the tank commanders, furthermore, she also gave her reasons for making this request, stating that by writing a report they would become more aware on how they had acted during the match. The team's captain also stated that in no way was anybody going to have to feel ashamed about any poor performance of terrible decisions, they were all part of the learning process.

Furthermore, she also reassured to all of the students that there would be no consequences if anybody were to be highly critical or write down the wrong kind of things, these reports were not meant to get students into trouble but to locate mistakes and to learn from them. Anybody was free to write down as they saw fit, without any fear of consequences or repercussions.

"If possible I'd like for you to hand in your reports before the end of tomorrow," Miho added to her earlier explanation before she continued, "Also if you think of something important then do add it, we'll be using these reports to create a training system so that any new members next year will have an easier time to catch up. Also, I'll be having a detailed talk with each individual team after you've handed in your reports."

Seeing as there was no further need of criticism with regards to the match's performance Miho decided to wrap things up, they had been at it for long enough now, the debriefing had been going only for well over twenty minutes by now. "Again I was really impressed by how you all played, it makes me feel proud of being in charge of a team with such great people in it. We keep on training like this, and keep on giving our best, we'll definitely have another shot at winning next year. Now I want to thank all of you for your efforts today, practice and this debriefing is now over. I wish you all a good day," Miho said as she made a bow towards the arrayed girls present, sincerely thanking them for their efforts today.

Making a bow in return the assembled teams began to disperse, splitting off and going their own separate ways. The trio of girls belonging to Mallard went back towards the main building, no doubt their responsibilities of the Public Morals Committee requiring for them attend to several matters, Duck, as usual, decided to go and visit the gym instead as they were still fired up from the match and they needed to get some good exercise in order to wear themselves down.

The remainder of the other teams split into smaller groups, evidently heading home. The other four girls that made up the rest of Anglerfish, however, stayed where they stood, and gave a rather expectant look to Miho.

"So, Miporin, you look a little tired. Are you feeling any better now?" Saori remarked, in her usual kind tone, as she noticed the somewhat exasperated expression on her friend's face. The kind-hearted ginger could understand if her friend was a little exhausted as it was after all the first time she had done such a debriefing. "Just make sure you don't strain yourself, right?"

"Well, I'm glad that's over," Miho let out in a sigh, visibly relaxing now that the debriefing was over. "Also, thank you for worrying about me but it's not that bad actually. I just didn't think it would be this hard but I'm already looking forward to getting their reports tomorrow and read-." She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as a shout came from somewhere outside which caught their immediate attention, turning their heads to each other they looked in confusion as at first, they didn't understand what was going on. That was until they heard it again.

Hearing it the five of them rushed towards one of the large doors to see what was happening, wondering if some students had gotten into a fight, or had somebody hurt themselves? As they got closer they could hear the shouts getting louder, but also easier to recognize, it made them quicken their pace as they were starting to worry.

"That sounds an awful lot like Azusa-chan from Rabbit doesn't it?" Saori asked as she was the first one to recognize the voice they heard. "Don't tell me that she's in some kind of trouble is she now?"

"No," Hana said, doing her best to keep up with the rest, "I don't think that's it but there is something going on, it almost sounds like… she's… crying…"

As they rounded the corner they could see the six girls making up Rabbit standing there but what drew their immediate attention was Azusa, the young girl was crying, tears running down her cheeks, her red-stained eyes staring back at her friends and classmates. "Why won't any of you just leave me alone?! I didn't ask you to come with me so go away! I want to be by myself right now!" the girl shouted before she spun on her heel, and before any of them had a chance to react, ran away.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - streets - 17.35h_

"I wonder what was wrong with Sawa-san," Yukari remarked as the five of them left the store and turned left after the exit, ever since leaving the school grounds they had all been wondering what had prompted Azusa to react like she had.

"Do you think something happened during the match? From what we were told she must have been pretty upset," Hana added, her long hair trailing behind her, trying to come up with a reason. It was clear that the young girl had been unnerved by something all of a sudden, no doubt the reason for it lied in the match.

Saori asked the question that was on their minds though she also seemed to be a bit defensive of the younger girl. "You don't think she was upset because her team lost, do you? Please don't tell me it's like that, she's not that kind of person you know."

Mako let out a retort, "Nobody said that." Without even turning her head as she kept on walking, right now she was more preoccupied with getting home and grabbing some rest.

"Nishizumi-dono, what do you think happened?" Yukari asked, directing her question to Miho as she wanted to hear her opinion on the matter. "Do you think that we should go and see how he's doing? Or would it be better if we left her alone?"

Remaining silent for a moment as she contemplated about her answer Miho finally broke her silence, "I think it's best if we give her some space right now, the other members of Rabbit have already gone after her. I don't think that Azusa-san is going to feel any better if we're there as well, it might even have the opposite effect on her. That said I would like to know if she's okay or not."

It didn't sit well with any of them, not knowing how the younger girl was doing at the moment. They had all seen the look on her face, a look that portrayed how depressed she must have been and a look that compelled any who saw to go after her and comfort her. Furthermore what had happened had surprised them all, none of them had expected such an outburst from Azusa or for the young girl to suddenly run away. Still, there had to be a reason to explain her sudden actions, something must have happened to cause the young girl to run away like that.

"Well if you want I can send a message to them, I have their numbers on my cell phone," Saori remarked as she pulled out her phone and held it up for the others to see. "I don't think that sending one to Azusa-san is a good idea but I can do the others and ask them?"

It was a kind gesture but one that really wouldn't tell them anything but at the very least would offer them some measure of comfort, they would all feel a lot better if they were told that Azusa was simply at home.

None of them believed that the younger girl was going to do anything stupid, she was a sensible person, pretty smart, very observant, so the chance of her doing something reckless was almost nonexistent. Even so, they just wanted to know how she was doing.

"Then how about we go and see her first thing in the morning, we can leave a little earlier so that we have some extra time so we…" Saori suggested but she trailed off as her suggestion was quickly shot down by a very disapproving glance from Mako who wasn't all that keen on having to get up even earlier than usual.

"Let's just wait until tomorrow, we can still decide on what to do then," the black haired gunner remarked in response, adding a suggestion of her own. "I'm certain that if even we get a little late in class our teachers will understand. Besides even we get in a little trouble I think it'll be worth it. Helping out another is the right thing to do after all, am I right?"

The other four girls nodded their heads in agreement, the teachers are their school were pretty understandable, so explaining to them why they were a little late for class was likely going to prevent them from getting into too much trouble. In the event that they did get a stern lecture or additional assignment, well it would be worth it if they knew that Azusa was fine, that mattered a lot more to them, which was far more important.

Then it was agreed on, first thing tomorrow morning they would go to the younger girl's class and see how she was doing. And even though Mako voiced her objections to the issue of having to get up even earlier she nevertheless conceded as she too wanted to find out as well how the girl was doing, well she would manage somehow, perhaps she could get the others to carry her.

Continuing on their way to their respective homes the group began to split up as each girl had to go in a different direction, eventually leading to Miho being by herself as she covered the last part to her apartment alone, alone in her own thoughts she kept asking herself what she could have done to helped Azusa, somewhere a part of her was feeling a little guilty over what had happened.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – Miho's apartment - 20.20h_

Blinking as she heard somebody ring the doorbell Miho got up from the couch and, feeling a little confused at first as she wasn't expecting any visitors for the night, she nevertheless went to the door of her apartment. "I wonder who it could be. The others didn't say anything about coming over tonight. Maybe it's a surprise visit from them, ah but I don't have any snacks for us. I guess that I'll need to go to the store then and get some though knowing Saori-san she likely brought some with her."

Pausing at the door for a moment to listen if she might be able to recognize the person's voice it got silent, had she been mistaken perhaps. With her hand resting on the door handle she asked through the intercom, "Ehm excuse me, who's there?" and waited for an answer.

She didn't have to wait long as through the intercom she could hear a somewhat hesitant sounding Azusa.

"… Ehm… captain Nishizumi… it's me Sawa Azusa from school." She could hear the younger girl say, but she could also tell that something felt strange in the way that she was speaking. "… Can I… come in…? I'd… like to talk… if that's alright with you?"

Opening the door in response Miho was taken aback by what she saw, the expression on Azusa's face coupled with her posture told Miho that something was weighing heavily on the younger girl's shoulders. The way that Azusa was doing her best to avoid Miho's gaze only reaffirmed the older girl's suspicions. No doubt the young brunette had come here to talk about it with somebody because something was troubling her and she wanted to get it off her chest.

Faced with that Miho felt that the only thing to do was to let the girl stay here and listen to what she had to say, that was the right thing to do. "Please come in, Azusa-san," Miho said as she gestured for her to come inside and make herself comfortable, "Have a seat, I'll get us something to drink in the meantime."

Just nodding her head without saying a word Azusa stepped inside and took off her shoes before moving further into Miho's small apartment, taking it all in she was a little surprised at first to see that this was where the team's captain and the Ace of Ooarai resided.

Briefly, the older girl gave some thought if she should call her friends and have them come over but a quick glance over her shoulder, and seeing the state in which the younger girl found herself, convinced her otherwise. Having her friends here as well was only going to scare Azusa, making it even harder to get her to calm down and explain what had happened earlier. Looking at from that side it made the most sense for it just being the two of them, that way the young girl would hopefully find herself more at ease than when she was confronted by five older girls. Miho wanted for her to feel comfortable, her first priority now was to make sure that Azusa would relax a little and open up to her. If they could just have a talk with each other than Miho felt certain that at some point that the younger girl was going to tell her about her problems, after that they could look for a way to help her. She felt confident that with a little understanding and caring she could help the young tank commander with her problem and come up with a solution. But for now, she would need to make the girl feel at home, she wanted for her to feel more at ease so that it would be easier to have a little talk.

Clutching her chest Azusa felt a little anxious at first as she wasn't sure if she had done the right thing by coming here, slightly worried that her captain, a person who she had come to idolize, would think badly of her after what had happened during the training.

Looking around her she was a little surprised to see that the room had a rather kind atmosphere to it, which did help her to feel a bit more ease though she couldn't shake the unpleasant feeling that maybe she shouldn't have come here in the first place. From the small kitchen she could hear that the older girl was busy in getting them some drinks and likely something to eat as well, however to Azusa it felt that such kindness was wasted on her.

"There we are," Miho said as she came back from the kitchen and entered the room again followed by her placing a small tray holding their drinks on the table, having poured one for Azusa she placed it in front of the younger girl before taking a seat opposite of her. Waiting for a moment in order to give the younger girl the chance to start the conversation it dawned on Miho, when the silence went on for far too long, that she was going to need to force the talk. "So Azusa-san, I guess you must be feeling… ehm… a little disappointed about what happened today, am I right? Is that why you decided to come and see me?"

With her head cast down, her eyes trained on the glass in front of her Azusa didn't dare to look Miho back in the eyes as she gave, somewhat reluctant, her answer. "… W-Well kind of… I just… feel terrible about it…"

Gently pushing the glass to the side, as she wasn't that thirsty, to begin with, Miho leaned forward a little and asked, "So why do you feel so terrible about it then, Azusa-san? You shouldn't feel bad about what happened; you did everything that you could've done. It can happen to even the best of us during a match. We all make mistakes sometimes."

"But not you, you don't make mistakes," Azusa blurted the words as she looked up with tear-stained eyes. "You've never make any mistakes captain, you always know what to do. Even in the most difficult situations, you've… always managed… to…pull through… unlike me…"

Shaken her head gently in response Miho informed Azusa that the younger girl was mistaken if she honestly thought that Miho had never made any mistakes in her life. "Actually, I've made my share of mistakes as well. I think the biggest one being that I nearly quit Sensha-do, luckily all of you made me realize that I was wrong. I've also lost plenty of training matches against others back at Kuromorimine, and to be honest some of them were really embarrassing. I'm not as infallible as you think I am, Azusa-san." And with that Miho began to give some examples of the many mistakes she had made in the past, one more embarrassing than the other and recalling them made Miho feel a little uneasy about her past. That said she also found strength and confidence knowing that she had learned from her past mistakes and they had helped to shape her into the person she was today, a person that she felt proud of.

It wasn't all that much but at the very least it did make Azusa feel a little better about herself though she couldn't for the life of her imagine her captain making mistakes when it came to anything related to tankery, somehow it just didn't fit with the image that she had of the older girl. It was just in such stark contrast to the Miho that she had come to know and respect, shuffling back and forth a little as she had no idea on how to react the younger girl just stayed quiet.

"Did I really surprise you with that?" Miho asked as noticed the somewhat surprised expression on Azusa's face, slightly tilting her head before she continued. "Making mistakes is a part of life, you can't live your life without making mistakes but there's nothing wrong with that. Just make sure that you learn from your mistakes so you won't repeat them again."

Reaching out for her glass she had a short sip from it, after all of that talking her throat was starting to feel a little dry. Yet somehow reminiscing about her past mistakes was making the older girl feel a little nostalgic about herself, she told herself that she could do that later as right now her focus had to be on helping Azusa.

"… Ehm, captain Nishizumi?" Azusa asked as she dared to look up, so far she had been avoiding Miho's gaze on purpose but after having heard all of that she was starting to get a little curious about what her commander was thinking. "Do you really think that there was something for me to learn from what happened? I don't even know where it went wrong, it just happened…"

Getting up from her seat Miho walked over towards the younger girl and kneeled down in front of her. "It's alright Azusa-san, you don't have to get worked up over it. Just relax a little and I'm sure that the answer will come to you," she said as she wrapped her arms around Azusa before she began comforting the younger girl. "It's going to be alright, I believe in you Azusa-san, I know that you gave it your best today. There's nothing for you to be ashamed of, just keep giving it your best, that's all I'm asking of you."

"…E-Ehm… c-captain…" Flustered by the suddenness of this sincere gesture Azusa was struggling to express herself, stumbling over the words as she tried to find the right ones to say in response to her captain's comforting words. "I… I-I… c-captain…"

"Also, I think you did really well today, you showed good tactical insight. Your strategy was sound, you realized the nature of your team and the terrain and planned accordingly, you anticipated a forward dash by Duck, and you even did your best to coordinate your team to attack together against the same target. You have every reason to be proud of yourself, please don't doubt yourself or your decisions."

"…" Azusa tried to speak but the words were stuck, this was becoming a little too much for her to handle, her throat starting to feel dry. "… C-Captain…"

"Oh, one more thing," Miho said in return as she leaned back a little. "You don't have to call me captain when we're not on the team, you can be a little less formal with me."

Hearing those kind words addressed to her Azusa couldn't hold herself together any longer, she broke down crying, burying her face against Miho's chest. No longer able to keep them back the tears came running down her cheeks, murmuring something underneath her breath and even though Miho couldn't clearly hear the words the younger girl was saying and yet the movements of her lips were obvious.

"… I-Is it alright… if I stay a little longer…senpai…?" Azusa asked with a quivering voice as she dreaded having to go back to her home at the moment, she wanted to stay a little longer. There was still so much for her to learn but being able to be here with Miho and having the older girl praise her was helping her to process what had happened. She still felt guilty over what had happened but now at least she was feeling less ashamed about it.

"Sure," Miho said in return. "Do you want to have something to drink, I can get you something else if you want? Also feel free to turn on the TV if you want to watch something to help you take your mind off it."

"Ah no thank you," Azusa politely declined the offer as she still had enough and she hadn't been that thirsty, that said she felt relieved in hearing that it was alright or her to stay. "I'd much rather continue talking with you… if that's alright with you… senpai?"

"I'd like that, Azusa-san. I didn't get the opportunity to get to know any of you better so I'm glad to have the chance for that now. If possible I'd like to get to know all of you a little better."

Hearing those words, feeling the sincerity behind the gesture Azusa finally regain her courage, reaching for the handkerchief that laid on the table she wiped her tears, her eyes remained red but at least she was feeling better than she had before. Carefully picking up the glass she took a sip from it as she cleared her throat, there was a lot that she wanted to tell Miho about, just thinking about it was enough to bring a smile to her face.

"You definitely look a lot cuter when you're smiling, Azusa-san," Miho giggled as she spotted the smile that caressed the younger girl's features, complimenting her as she felt that a smile suited her much better than tears. "You're a pretty girl you know."

Hearing that Azusa's couldn't help but blush in response, her face taking on a few hues of pink, as she wasn't mentally prepared for being complimented by the captain, let alone being called cute by her, but it didn't feel like an embarrassment. Regaining her composure she met the gaze of the older girl and said. "Thank you, senpai. You're also pretty cute when you're smiling." The reaction this prompted from Miho made it all the more worthwhile.

After the two of them had a few good laughs and had a chance to settle into a more comfortable atmosphere Azua took a deep breath and began to talk about her life, where she came from, what her family was like, her interests, her friends, her ambitions in life, and much more. Once she began she found it hard to stop, she felt so eager about telling about herself.

This was the first time in her life that an older student took such an interest in her, it was new, it was refreshing, it was exciting, and Azusa just couldn't get enough of the attention she was getting from Miho. It was definitely a new kind of experience for her but one that she liked, even cherished, talking like this also made her aware that her captain for all of her virtues and skill at tankery was also just a simple girl much like her. A girl that she wanted to get to know better as well, perhaps they even had some things in common beyond participating in tankery.

Leaning back against the side of the bed Miho silently asked herself how long she and Azusa had been talking by now, she hadn't paid much attention what time it had been when the younger girl had first appeared at her doorstep and by now she had completely lost track of the time. That said, she didn't mind, on the contrary, she was really glad to have had this opportunity for a nice private talk to the younger girl. There had been so much that she hadn't been aware of, things that she would never have sought behind Azusa's kind face, she was hoping that she would get to spend more time together.

An evening like this was a welcome change of pace, it was somewhat similar to the talks she had with her closest friends, but those were people that she saw daily and had a lot more contact with. Others such as Azusa were the kind of people with whom she had very little contact with outside of the team, so a more intimate talk like this was a rather pleasant change. For that Miho offered a silent thank you to the younger girl who sat opposite of her.

"Ah! I can't believe it's that late!" Azusa gasped all of a sudden as almost by accident she had a look at the clock and noticed what time it already was, nearly jumping up. "I'm so sorry for having stayed this long, senpai. I didn't mean to waste your evening on me. I-I need to go!"

Leaning forward Miho grabbed her by the arm and told her, "It's alright Azusa-san, you don't need to apologize to me, I had a great time tonight so you being here wasn't a waste at all."

Still, it seemed that despite Miho's kind words Azusa's mind was made up, she wanted to go home, in part because she was genuinely tired but also because she felt that enough was enough for today, a lot had happened and she needed some time to let it all sink in.

"I see," Miho said in return as she noticed what the younger girl meant when she had said that, with that, she got up from her seat and escorted Azusa to the door. "I guess you're right, it's already getting late and we do have school again tomorrow. Still, I really enjoyed this evening, I had a lot of fun tonight, Azusa-san. So thank you for that."

Azusa just nodded her head as she donned her shoes but inside she shared the sentiment, this definitely had been a very pleasant evening for her. It felt like the anxiety she had been through earlier had been worth it though, to be honest, there had been nothing that she needed to be afraid of, her fears had been unfounded.

Standing at the door Miho couldn't help but smile as she offered her thanks to the younger girl. "Thank you for having come over Azusa-san, I've never had the opportunity to get to know you any better so I'm really glad that I got the chance to talk to you today. I really feel like I got to know you better, I hope that you can come visit me again soon. I'd love for us to get together like this again"

"… I… did too… senpai," Azusa said underneath her breath as she felt her chest swell with pride, the sincerity of the gesture easing the emotional load on her shoulder. Quickly wiping away a tear that was forming in the corner of her eye she took a cautious step forward. "… I'm glad… that I got… the chance… to talk to you… that you… listened to me… I feel so much better now… thank you… senpai…"

* * *

 **Author's note** : Hey folks, sorry that it took so long to post an update and there's really no excuse for it. Won't stop me from trying though so please bear with me, then again, we all know what an absolute royal pain in the neck life can be at times.

In March this year my father was diagnosed with a benign bone tumor in his upper jaw, scans done at the hospital showed that the tumor was the size of an orange and due to the type of tumor this one couldn't be treated by either chemo or radiation so the only option was to have it surgically removed. Originally my father's surgery was planned to be on the 2nd of May, then it was changed to the 25th of April due to another patient possibly falling out, after that it got change back to the 2nd of May again and last week it got changed to the 9th of May. Yeah, we weren't exactly thrilled with all of the shuffling they were doing as we just wanted to get the damn thing over with.

By now he's back home after he has spent the last 3 weeks in the hospital, he was supposed to have come home sooner but pneumonia meant that it took a little longer than what we had hoped for although we've been informed by the staff that they did expect this.

We're all glad that he's back with us and that his recovery is going well, that also means that I have a bit more peace of mind and can devote a bit more of my time towards my stories. I've been driving up and down to the hospital every day for the past 3 weeks so luckily that's over.

I've also lost a weekend to the Militracks event which is held each year, this year it was again damn crowded and despite getting up early I had a blast, I got to see an actual Panzer II Ausf. L 'Luchs' driving around and it truly is the cutest tank in the world, and no, this is not up for debate, at all.

Met Jon as well, who some of you might know as the infamous 'Welderbeast' who restored an early model StuG III Ausf. D on his Facebook page, I had a terrific time talking to him about the project and sharing our love for old armored vehicles, even though the StuG didn't drive around anymore and was parked away Jon offered me the chance to have a seat in the old girl which I was only too happy to accept. I'll say this, damn the inside is crowded, I'm roughly 1.80m tall and I had trouble in getting to sit in the driver's seat, gunner's position was just as bad and if you're the commander you can't sit at all when the vehicle needs to button down. It really is a cramped vehicle and there are four blokes in it. Still, I loved being able to say that I got to sit in an actual StuG III Ausf. D, not too many can say that.

Well, going to leave it at that before these author's note start to become a thesis on their own, I should have the next chapter up a lot sooner than that it took me this one, a good portion of that chapter has already been written so with any luck you won't have to wait as long as you had to for this one, for which I again wish to apologize.

Enjoy the chapter, have a good time, and take care.


	5. The Festival Committee Gathers!

**The Festival Committee Gathers!**

 _Ooarai school carrier - streets - 08.35h Monday_

Making her way quickly across the crossing Miho was still asking herself how Azusa was doing, ever since the younger girl had left her apartment last night she had been wondering about her well-being, although given how it had gone she was feeling optimistic.

' _I think I'll go and see how she's doing when I have the chance during the first break. I just hope that she's had some time to let it all sink in with her.'_ The young brunette had seemed to be doing a lot better by the time she had excused herself to Miho and said that she wanted to go home. They had done a lot of talking, for which Miho felt grateful as she felt that she hadn't had the opportunity for having gotten to know said girl better.

' _She shouldn't feel bad about what happened, we all have those days that nothing seems to go right. As long as she learned from it, it's alright. I know that she's a clever girl.'_ Still, Miho regretted that she hadn't had the opportunity to watch how the battle had unfolded from the side as it would have allowed her to gain a clearer insight at how the teams moved and operate according to their commander. Then again that might not be such a bad idea for another training match as it was becoming important that a new second in command was picked sooner rather than later. _'With any luck, we'll get a lot of visitors who are interested in Sensha-do during the festival, hopefully, we can get plenty of new members to fill in the holes in the team roster. We really need more numbers if the team wants to be able to do well next year.'_ That wasn't going to be an easy feat and Miho was painfully aware of it.

Having an interest in tankery and actually participating in it were two separate things, no doubt a lot of the visitors were going to show an interest in Ooarai's tankery team but that didn't automatically mean that they would also join the team, furthermore there was the ever-present risk that people who had no reason or desire to enlist to their school would come anyway and have a better look. Miho didn't even dare to think that maybe even people from other schools might come and spy on them.

' _Well it's not like there's much we can do about that, we can't stop people from visiting the school, and besides, it's not like we have anything to hide at the moment.'_

Their team didn't have any secrets hidden, no new tank that was kept out of sight, what they had was what they had to work with. Unless they could acquire new tanks, or enhance their existing vehicles, it was going to become that much harder for them to pull off any victories as their opponents weren't likely going to fall for the same tricks like this year again. New tactics would also be in order as well as keeping a watchful eye on any new developments in the other schools.

Then there was also that she was going to need to do her best to train the team and work hard to acquire additional tanks and crews in order to strengthen the team, it was going to be some rather intense times for her but that was alright with Miho as she was looking forward to it.

"We're going to meet more people, come to think of it, it's rather exciting," she whispered to herself before her attention was caught as she noticed somebody approaching from the corner of her eye. Turning around quickly she was pleasantly surprised to see that it was Hana and Yukari coming over to greet her though what puzzled her was that Saori and Mako were absent.

"Takebe-dono told me to let you know that she's going to be late today," Yukari quickly filled her in and explained to Miho that she had gotten a text message this morning in which Saori had said that they could go without her and Mako and also an explanation for why the two girls wouldn't be present. "It seems that Reizei-dono needs to visit the dentist and Takebe-dono went with her to make sure that she would get there in time. On a different note, what do we want to do with Sawa-san? She seemed really upset about what happened yesterday."

Hana agreed with the suggestion though as she and Yukari already had talked about during their walk towards the crossing. "Yukari-san's right, I really got the impression that she was pretty depressed. I think it'd be best if we went and see her during one of the breaks and talk to her a little."

"Ah actually," Miho remarked as she held up her hand. "She already came to see me yesterday, we had a lot of talking as she was really upset about what had happened and she needed somebody to talk to. She ehm… Spend quite a few hours at my place."

"To be expected of Nishizumi-dono," Yukari beamed, impressed by the kindness and sincerity of her idol at helping a team member, and yet there was also a subtle hint of jealousy in her eyes, as she envied the younger girl for having been able to get to have the person that Yukari admired the most all to herself for an entire night. How much she wished to get such an opportunity, how much she longed to get to know her commander even better.

' _I hope we can do a sleepover at Nishizumi-dono's house soon,'_ came to the front of her mind as she became aware that while they had gone camping before they had never done a sleepover at any of their respective houses before. But that also reminded her of something else that had been said before. _'I guess I could suggest it during our lunch break, I guess that the other wouldn't mind it either. That reminds me, Nishizumi-dono mentioned before that we could come with her the next time she would go to her home. I wonder when that'll be.'_

As quickly as that thought had surfaced, just as quickly did it get pushed to the back of her mind as it simply wasn't that important at the moment. Shaking her head as she reminded herself that she needed to focus her attention on how the younger girl and the others of Rabbit were doing, she promised herself that she would mimic Miho's kind gesture from last night.

Even if she wasn't going to be able to offer as good advice as the team's commander had, Yukari could at the very least offer a listening ear to them. Immersed in her own thoughts the cheerful loader wasn't aware that there was still a conversation going on between her friends.

"So I guess that means that there's no reason for us to go and see how she's doing then, am I right?" Hana asked the question as she had come to the conclusion that what the five of them had agreed to yesterday was no longer needed, it seemed that the long talk that the younger girl had with her friend had done wonders. "I'm really glad that she came to see you, Miho-san. Still, if it's alright with you I'd still like to go and see her."

"Of course," Miho said in return, "I want to go and see her as well but at least we don't have to worry that much about her, I guess we can go during the lunch break, then Saori-san and Mako-san can come with us. Though I wonder if it's really alright for the five of us to show up?"

"Well, maybe it's better if it's just you, Nishizumi-dono," the fluffy-haired brunette remarked with a sense of caution as she joined the conversation again, if it might come over as intimidating at having five older girls come to see you, then it only made sense to have just one person go over. "I'm sure that if it's you that she won't mind it. We'll be waiting for you then in the tank shed.

Nodding her head Hana added her opinion to that, placing her hand against her chest, "Yukari-san's right, it's likely best if you were to go alone, I'm afraid that having all of us there might just scare her. But do give her our regards, we want her to know that we all care about her. Also, be sure to tell her that if she ever needs anything that she's welcome to see any of us."

Smiling as she heard her friends say that Miho was overcome by their sincerity, they just wanted what was best for Azusa, it reminded her again on how selfless Saori and Hana had been when they had just met, willing to cast aside what they wanted for the sake of their friend.

"Are you really sure that's alright with you? I'm sure that it'd mean a lot to Azusa to hear it from you as well and I-." Miho wasn't allowed to finish her sentence as Hana shook her head.

"It's alright, Miho-san. I'm certain that she'll understand even if we're not there. And besides we can always visit her ourselves later, but right now what's best for her is to have some time for herself. I don't think that we're needed for that, you, on the other hand, Miho-san, are."

It didn't sit well with Miho but as she thought about it, she found that it was hard to disagree with what Hana had just said, what mattered now, was for Azusa to regain her confidence.

Hopefully, though, the younger girl would at some point seek contact with the others as well as there was a lot that she could learn from them. But for now, that could wait, until the younger girl would feel confident again about her own abilities, confident enough to come forth and seek out the advice and criticism of others.

"Well, I guess it's settled then," Yukari said as she spotted their school when they rounded the corner, even from this distance she could already tell that there was a huge crowd of people going through the main gate. "Today's gonna be pretty lively won't it?"

"Sure seems like it, then again, isn't our school at its best when it's lively?" Hana added to the brunette's question. "I think that's when our school at its prettiest when it's full of people."

Silently agreeing with Hana, Miho found herself smiling as she saw so many students appearing, yeah, their school was at its best when people came, people who love this school.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - school hallways - 10.25h_

"Ah there you are, Nishizumi-senpai," a brown-haired girl with golden-brown eyes called her out as she walked up to Miho in the hallway. "I've been looking everywhere for you, I thought you were in your classroom so I went there first hoping to find you but you weren't there you see. I'm so glad that I managed to find you here. Do you have a moment for me, senpai?"

Miho blinked as she hadn't seen this girl before but nevertheless, she remained polite and asked the girl what is was that she needed her for, that and an introduction. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the younger girl said in return quickly before she properly introduced herself to Miho. "I'm Hanazawa Mikan from class 1-C, I'm also with the festival committee which is why I came looking for you. You see we're kinda busy with planning and coordinating everything but we haven't heard if the school's Sensha-do team has any plans. Given you did so well at the Nationals we were kinda hoping that you'd give a show or something. Do you think it would be possible for you to come see us at the next meeting, I mean we'd like to hear what you have to say? It doesn't have to be much but of course, but we'd appreciate it if you've got a fully worked out plan for us to review. Do you think that would be possible, senpai?"

As Mikan continued with explaining her reasons for having come to see the older student, Miho watched how the girl kept holding the notebook that she had been carrying in her hands, she reasoned that most of the points that the young brunette was mentioning were likely written down, however, as the brown-haired girl kept on talking Miho began to notice that said girl barely looked at the notes but rather seemed to recall most of them from memory which did really impress Miho.

"So with all of that out of the way," Mikan said, stopping for a moment to catch her breath before she would continue, "Is it going to be a problem for you to come and see us later today? I mean would it be possible for you to come to the meeting and explain your plans for the festival and tell them in person? We'd really like to make sure that everything gets properly organized as it's going to be really important that everything goes smoothly."

"Oh, I ehm… no, it won't be a problem," Miho said as she felt that it wouldn't be a bad idea for her to go and visit the festival committee and find out for herself how things were going, and besides that would also allow her to personally explain in her own words to the committee what the tankery team had planned. She hoped that they would understand though she did remind herself that they had the student council on their side so she doubted that any person would object to their plans. Still, it would be best if she were to show her face, there was no reason for the team to exploit that they had the student council on their side. Miho wanted to find out who these people were; she wanted to get to know them.

"Yes! Oh, that's great to hear," Mikan replied, visibly delighted as she heard Miho's answer. "I'm really looking forward to hearing what you have to say! Oh before I forget, we're at the main conference room on the third floor, the meeting starts at around 17.00h so if you could make it by then that'd be really great! I'll inform the committee then that you're coming, oh I can't wait to hear what you are going to say, Nishizumi-senpai." Mikan began to beam, it was pretty obvious to anybody that this girl was feeling excited about the whole prospect.

Scratching the back of her head Miho explained to her that it wasn't anything special, somehow she was getting the impression that the brown haired girl might have gotten the wrong idea here. "It's nothing out of the ordinary, to be honest, we just want to let people experience what Sensha-do is like, and I can imagine that plenty of people want to see the tanks up close. Also, we'll do our best to answer any questions that the guests might have."

"Wow," Mikan breathed a sigh of amazement, "I knew that you were cool, Nishizumi-senpai! That sounds really awesome, oh the chairperson is going to love it. She's a big fan of you as well, a little crazy though, but she's definitely going to approve anything you suggest. I mean, it sounds like you guys put a lot of thought into it! She's definitely going to love it!"

"Oh, is that so…?" If Miho wasn't certain of it at first she definitely was convinced now, this girl and apparently the chairperson of the festival committee were big fans of her. That was something that she hadn't expected, well she was used to some adoration and idolization from Yukari so she didn't think it would be any different than what she was accustomed to.

"Ah but I need to go now, I need to tell the committee that you'll be coming to the meeting, I can't wait to see you appear, I so want to hear more. Well, thank you for having been kind enough to answer my questions, take good care, Nishizumi-senpai. See you later! Bye bye!" And with those words Mikan said her goodbyes as she made a quick bow to Miho before leaving, still clutching the notebook she had been carrying with her all this time.

Watching the brown-haired girl leaving, Miho was left a little anxious about going and talk to the committee later today, maybe she should have left these kind of things to the student council instead. Still, she reasoned that no harm could be done by going and discussing her plans.

"She seems really nice, not to mention a little excited. I wonder if the other people in the committee are like her as well, I guess I'm going to find it out anyway."

"Miporin, there you are! We´ve been looking for you," Saori led out as she approached her fellow classmate, "We were getting a little worried when you didn't show up at the sheds. Did anything happen, who's that girl you were talking to, did she want anything from you?"

Miho blinked as she hadn't noticed the ginger-haired girl until she was standing in front of her. She wasn't even aware that she had been gone for that long. "Oh you mean Hanazawa-san," she said in return, explaining to her friend what said girl wanted with her and why they had been talking. "After classes are over I'll be going to the meeting and discuss with them what the Senshado team has decided to do for the upcoming festival, I'm sure they'll appreciate it if I come and talk about it in person. Also the sooner they know of our plans the easier it'll be for them to work it into their schedule."

"But don't you think it's better to just go and ask the student council instead?" Saori asked as she felt that it would be a lot easier for the team to get what they wanted if they used the student council instead as they held a lot more power. With their backing, there was no doubt in her mind that the team could get whatever they wanted to get done. "I mean, it sounds like you'll have to go through a lot of effort just to get this committee to approve the ideas you come up with, they might not even agree with you, Miporin. So why go through all the trouble instead?"

Miho just smiled in return, letting her friend know how she felt about it. "Well that's certainly true but I feel that it's better this way, I'd hate to cause them any problems because we didn't cooperate with them, they're working hard to make this festival a success for the school and I want to help them with that because I love this school. So I want to help them as much as possible."

"You're right, Miporin." Nodding her head in understanding Saori agreed with her. "I guess they're no different than we are, everybody loves this school. So do you want us to come with you when you go and see them?"

"Ah no, but thank you for offering it, Saori-san," Miho said as she politely declined the generous offer from the ginger-haired girl, waving her hand to gesture that there was no need for her friends to come with her. "I can handle it on my own but if I need anything I'll let you know. So what was it that you needed me for?"

"Oh, that's right," Saori exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. "We wanted to discuss something with you for tonight's dinner, we're… kinda… stuck on what we want to make," she laughed, a little nervous at it, as she rubbed the back of her head as she felt a little embarrassed about it. "So is there anything that you'd like in particular, Miporin?"

Hearing what it actually was that had made Saori come looking for her, Miho could do little else but chuckle a little as she had falsely thought it had to do with the team, that said she preferred this as she enjoyed spending time with her friends.

Giving it some thought Miho could only reach one sensible solution, giving the ginger-haired girl a smile in return Miho gave her answer as she said, "Well, to be honest, I'm kind of happy with anything that we make together, every time we've had dinner together the food always tasted so good. So as long as we're making it together, I'm really fine with anything."

Saori's eye twitched a little as she responded. "Oh, I see," before letting out a deep sigh as that was a typical Miho kind of answer, it didn't really offer them with an answer on what to make tonight though she couldn't really blame the brunette for it. "So would curry then be alright with you? I've already got most of the ingredients for it at home so I only have to make a short stop at one of the stores on the way back."

"Ah, I see you've found her," Hana remarked as she appeared from around the corner. "I've gone to the cafeteria but I couldn't find you there, Miho-san. So did you get the chance to ask her about tonight, Saori-san?"

Shrugging her shoulders in response Saori answered her friend's question. "Miporin's being Miporin. So with that, I guess we'll be going for curry as I have most of the stuff for it back home, is that alright with you? Anyway, I think we should be going back to class."

With her hand pointing upwards as they could all hear the bell going off, which signaled that their break was over and that their class would resume soon.

"That sounds wonderful, Saori-san, I'd like to try my hand at making it as I've never tried it before," Hana said in return. "Well, I guess we can then discuss this with the others during the next break but first I think that we should go back to the classroom before our teacher does."

Nodding their heads the trio of girls agreed to continue this conversation later, right now they had a classroom, and their teacher, to go back to.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - school library- 13.25h_

As Miho sat down, at one of the many tables situated in the library, opposite of Azusa, she couldn't help but feel relieved at the reassuring sight of the younger girl smiling brightly, it seemed that her concerns had been unfounded as the girl in question appeared to have made a good recovery.

Still, it was a shame that she didn't get the opportunity to see her any sooner, during her break one of her teachers had asked Miho if they could help carry some supplies and by the time she had returned from that little errand her break had nearly come to an end.

Having some time now she had excused herself from her friends and had gone to see Azusa and have a little talk with the younger girl to find out how she was doing, as luck would have it said girl also had some time to spare, with that both of them had gone to the school's library. There they could talk in relative peace, it was better this way.

"You seem to be doing a lot better, how are you feeling, Azusa-san?" Miho asked, giving the younger girl a warm smile in return as she waited with bated breath for the answer. Her instinct told her that Azusa was doing better than yesterday but she much rather wanted the younger girl to say it in her own words.

"I am, thank you for taking care of me yesterday, Nishizumi-senpai," Azusa bowed her return as she expressed her gratitude to the older girl opposite of her, the long talk that she had with her captain last night had done wonders for her self-confidence. "I've realized that mistakes are going to happen no matter how hard I try to prevent them and that I'll just have to accept that. That and I also have to learn from my mistakes, making mistakes isn't that bad as long as they're new ones, otherwise, I haven't learned from my past ones."

"I'm really glad to hear that Azusa-san. If you ever feel the need to talk to somebody then please don't hesitate to come see me, my door's always open for you." It certainly made Miho feel a lot better now that she had heard it from Azusa and she told herself that whenever anybody on the team would be in need of a person to listen to them than she would be there for them. Looking over her shoulder she noticed, that although there were some students present in the library, it was still rather quiet and peaceful inside here.

"You're going to get your chance to make up for it soon enough, we're going to do a lot of practicing over the coming months as we need to be ready for next year," Miho said before she craned her neck and gazed at the ceiling. "It's not going to be as easy as it was this year."

"Ehm senpai," Azusa asked as she raised her hand. "Do you really think it's going to be so much harder for us next year? I mean, I get it that with them graduating that the team will lose a lot of its members but aren't we likely to get plenty of new members as well?"

Gazing at the younger girl Miho smiled before giving her an answer, "You're right, we're likely going to get new members but it's hard to say if we're going to get enough of them to make up for the people we lose. Still, we shouldn't let that deter us from keeping on like we have, we still have some time left and I'd like to use that time to train you all."

Azusa nodded silently as she listened with captured interest to what her captain had to say, hearing those words again allowed her to better place what was being expected of her. She knew that was Miho was saying was true, nobody could deny that their opponents had learned from Ooarai's battles so far. And yet it still frightened her a little in realizing that there would be more of a burden placed on her shoulders, she was going to be one of those charged with supporting the team in the future.

"Actually I have a little favor to ask of you, Azusa-san?" Miho said all of a sudden as she looked the younger girl straight in the eyes. "As you and the others of Rabbit are the only first years that we have on the team you're going to have to play a big role model for any new students who have an interest in joining the team. I know that this might seem like a lot I'm asking of you, but if possible I'd like for you and the others to answer any questions you might get during the festival as I can imagine a lot of people will curious to your opinions."

"U-Us… a-are you really sure, t-that it's alright for me and the others, to answer questions, senpai? Isn't it better if you and the other older students do that instead as you know a lot more? I-I…" Azusa stammered across the words as she felt that it would be better for the team's more experienced girls to answer any questions that visitors might have. Surely it wouldn't be right for her and the others members of the team to do so as they had the least amount of experience and besides they were only first years, who would possibly listen to what they had to say.

Miho gently shook her head as she said, "That's precisely why I want you and the others to answer the questions, Azusa-san. You're the youngest members of the team, which means you'll also be here the longest, that's why you and the other first years are the best people to do so." Just smiling as she leaned back in her seat Miho waited for a response from Azusa, she did briefly ask herself if she had done the right thing with being somewhat abrupt about it but she felt that this would be a good experience for them.

As Azusa was going to take on a more commanding role next year it would be good if any potential news members of the tankery team would get a chance to already meet her, the younger girl would need to build more confidence in herself as well as getting more experience with communicating and issuing orders. Doing so to potential new students would be a good place to start and with that in mind, Miho had reached the decision to let the members of Rabbit and Azusa in particular handle it. It would be a good experience for them all and also allow them to gain some practice.

"Don't think too much about it, just be honest with your answers and above all have fun. What they want to hear are you experiences, what it's like to be a part of the team, I don't think that you've got to worry about being asked any difficult questions," Miho summarized as she gave several examples of other kinds of questions that Azusa and the first years could likely expect to have them asked about. It went without saying that none of the questions were difficult or even unpleasant.

"I see," Azusa said as she began to get an impression of what she could expect then, still it remained a rather daunting prospect to her and more than once she averted her eyes from Miho to avoid the older girl seeing the hesitation in her eyes. Still, she couldn't deny that after the lengthy explanation of her team captain that she had gotten a little excited at the prospect of getting so much attention from others. She was going to be the senpai for some many others next year which almost caused her to giggle a little as she liked being called that.

"So Nishizumi-senpai, do you really think I can do it?" she asked, wanting to get some reassurance that her captain's faith in her wasn't misplaced. "What if we do something wrong or we give somebody the wrong kind of answer, what if they don't like what we've got to say, or we give them the impression that it's not fun to do Sensha-do? What if we mess it up?"

"I know that you won't do that," Miho said as she leaned forward again and placed her hand on top of Azusa's, giving the younger girl a warm and sincere smile. "It's going to be alright, Azusa-san. Don't worry about it as you're going to be fine. I believe in you, you'll do fine."

It was going to be a little tense but Miho felt confident that the youngest members of the team were going to be the best people suited for the job as they would remain here the longest, which meant that for any new students they would be a familiar face. That did apply to any second years as well but her choice remained with the first years.

"Then senpai, is it alright if I come visit you again to discuss any ideas? I'd like to run them through by you first before presenting them to the team. Just in case… you know…" Fidgeting a little in her seat it was clear that Azusa was not entirely fond of the idea of presenting an idea to the remainder of the team. "… I… mean, if that's alright with you…"

Seeing her behavior Miho gave the younger girl a reassuring smile in return before she said, "Of course, I'd like you to come visit me again, I really liked it when you came to see me. So, whenever you want to come you're welcome to. Just give me a little call so I know that you're coming, I'd hate it if you were to find yourself in front of a locked door."

"Ah right," Azusa was quick to nod her head, appearing to be visibly happy that it was alright for her to come see her team captain on such short notice. "W-Would tomorrow night then be alright? I-If it's not too much trouble for you, I-I promise that I'll have something good."

"I know you will," Miho said before turning her head and having a look at the clock that hung above them, already she could tell that her next class was going to begin in ten minutes, sadly that meant that her time with Azusa was coming to an end.

"I guess that's it for us," the younger girl remarked as she had noticed it as well, she felt disappointed in having to go but she knew that she would get to see the older girl soon enough again. Getting up from her seat and turning to face Miho she made a bow. "I want to thank you for having taken the time for me, senpai. It really means a lot to me, thank you for everything thing. Have a good day, Nishizumi-senpai, until later."

Returning the gesture Miho offered her thanks as well, mentioning that she was already looking forward to hearing what Azusa was going to show her, to be honest, she felt a little excited about it. "You have a good day too, Azusa-san. Goodbye now."

Watching as said girl left the library Miho picked up her belongings and got ready to leave for her own classroom when she was reminded again that later today she was going to have to visit the festival committee.

"Oh that's right," she said to herself, closing the door to the library behind her as she began to think about what she was going to say to these people, she had already worked out several ideas and she was keen to present these. That said she could not shake the feeling that perhaps there would be people on the committee who would disagree with their ideas, well there was little point in worrying about it, she was going to find out tonight.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, as walking through the hallways, her footsteps echoing, she caught sight of her friends standing there at the door, waving to her.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - promenade deck - 16.55h_

Perched at their usual spot, Saori, Hana, and Yukari were left to their own devices as Miho had a meeting to attend while their drowsy compatriot had opted to go home instead as she had to go somewhere, it took little guessing that this go was said girl's grandmother.

"I suppose we're not going to see Nishizumi-dono anymore today, are we?" Yukari asked, the messy-haired brunette expressing her concerns over not being able to see their friend for the remainder of the day. "Do you think they're going to be in there for long? I was hoping that we'd still get to hang out a little longer, but I guess if they're busy then it's just us."

"There's not much we can do about it, Yukarin," Saori answered the brunette's question, with just the three of them here at the moment there really was not a lot that they could do. "Miporin needs to be there and explain to them what we have in mind otherwise we might get into trouble, sure we could've let the student council handle this but I don't think it's right to let them solve everything, and besides we're not going to be able to count on them again next year."

"That, and it'll be easier for us if we're on good terms with the other departments in the school, don't you think?" Hana added, the graceful girl explaining that even with the student council on their side it would not hurt the team to establish good relationships with the other various departments within the school. At the very least it would offer them more platforms through which to look for any new potential members.

"You know, I can't help but wonder who's going to be the new student council? Do you think they'll be holding elections or anything like that?" Yukari presented them with another question, a difficult one as well, as nobody had any idea if the student council already had some students in mind to become their successors. "We should do our best to welcome them when they're elected, don't you think?"

"You're right," Hana said in return. "We'd definitely need to do our best to welcome the new student council members, getting along with them is going to matter a lot for the team."

Leaning back, Saori craned her neck as she looked up towards the sky and said, "You know what'd be really weird? If any of us were to get picked to be part of the new student council. I don't know, it kinda feels strange, I mean I don't really know what to do if I were to get elected."

That gave the other two girls some pause, neither of them sure on how to answer that question as neither of them had ever thought about such a possibility. Besides the chances of that happening had to be pretty slim, no doubt there had to be other students present in the school who were far better suited to such a role, having such responsibility thrust on one's shoulders.

"So Yukarin, who of us do you think would make a good president?" she asked after a moment of silence between the three girls. "I don't think that I could handle the pressure and the responsibility, what if I were to screw up, and then the entire school would be in trouble."

Shaking her head Yukari was quick to inform her distressed friend that it could never be that terrible. "I don't think you need to worry about that happening, Takebe-dono. And to be honest I think that Nishizumi-dono or Isuzu-dono would make a better president."

"Oh my," Hana merely said in return, a little mischievous smile gracing her face. "I'm honored that you think that highly of me, Yukari-san, but if I'm being honest here, I don't believe that I'd make a good president either. I don't think that I have the right people skills for that, so with that, I'd have to decline such an offer."

Next to her Saori was at a loss for words, her left eye still twitching, as her mind was struggling to process the return answer that she had gotten from the brunette. Eventually, she was able to break her silence when she let out, in a whimpering voice, "… Y-You… really… t-think… so…?"

"You two really think that?" Yukari asked both of her friends as she found it hard to believe that these two people she had come to cherish felt this way about the matter. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter as I doubt any of us would get picked anyway. Besides it'd also mean that we couldn't do Sensha-do anymore with Nishizumi-dono as often as we do now."

That gave them all something to think about, being a member of the student council would also mean that there was a lot more to do besides simply attending classes. While the current student council appeared to be able to achieve all this while still participating with the tankery team, it remained to be seen if any of them could do the same, especially with none of them having the same degree of experience that the current student council possessed.

"Yukari-san does have a point there," Hana voiced in agreement, expressing her own concerns at how it would be a shame for them to be separated from another. She had come to appreciate tankery and cherished the times that she could be together with her friends, thinking about not being able to see her friends or join them during matches was an unpleasant thought for the graceful gunner.

"Yeah..." Saori sighed, it seemed she too shared the idea that being a member of the student council would pose a problem for her. "I'd hate that, I don't want to lose any of you, isn't that why we fought so hard? To prevent ourselves from being separated, though I suppose it's gonna happen anyway when we graduate. I wonder what'll happen once we all go our own separate ways. Do you think that any of us will still be doing Sensha-do when that happens?"

"… I don't want that…" the messy-haired brunette mentioned, appearing visibly depressed at that question. "… I don't want us to stop doing Sensha-do… it's what brought us together… I'd be lonely again without any of you…"

For her the thought of being without her dearest of friends was a painful one, she had experienced loneliness before, she did not want to return to that. The time that she had spent at Ooarai had been the best time in a long while, she wanted for it to continue for a little while longer. She had made friends here who appreciated her for who she was, here she had come to meet her idol, and here she had finally found joy in school.

"You know, this is getting a little too depressing for me," Saori remarked as she pushed herself off the bench. "Why don't we change the subject and talk about something more pleasant, oh I know. How about what we're going to do this weekend? The ship should dock again at Ooarai, doesn't it? What do you say we all go shopping again together?"

"Are you sure that you should go shopping again, didn't you get a message from your parents that you were spending too much on clothes and such?" Hana was all too quick to remark, taking full advantage of having a little jab at her friend when the opportunity presented itself.

"Hey! That was mean, Hana," the girl in question said, pouting, causing Hana to chuckle.

Yukari just watched, and smiled, as she continued to watch Hana and Saori trade playful banter with each other, as only the closest of friends could do. For the brunette, this amicable bickering was in a strange way almost relaxing and combined with the tranquil setting of the ocean view it helped her to push her worries and concerns to the back of her mind.

With the sun beginning to hang lower in the sky, casting its red glow across the surface of the ocean, Yukari felt at home. This school was where she belonged, where she wanted to be.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - festival committee conference room - 17.05h_

"Ehm, excuse me. Is this the meeting of the festival committee?" Miho asked as she set foot inside the room and her sudden presence was met by about three dozen people staring back at her in return, she had expected for people to be here but not this many which caused her to take a step backward. Pulling herself together she took another step forward, made a bow and introduced herself. "I'm Nishizumi Miho from standard class I, 2-A. Pleased to meet you all. I was asked to come here and give an explanation with regards to any plans that the Sensha-do team might have for the upcoming festival."

"Ah Nishizumi-senpai, you came," Mikan said in her cheerful voice, appearing excited at Miho's presence she wasted no time in getting up from her seat and coming over to greet her. "I'm so glad you could make it in time, I've told the others you'd come but I wasn't sure if you would. Still, you got some really great timing Nishizumi-senpai and-."

"Mikan-chan, that's enough!" another girl said, interrupting said girl in the process before she got up from her seat and judging from where this new girl was seated Miho got the idea that she was likely the chairperson of the committee. "I'm terribly sorry about that, Nishizumi-san. Mikan-chan can be a little over-enthusiastic. She's been going on and on over that you'd come and visit us today, still I'm glad that you could make it. I'm Ichimichi Yuuri from class 2-D, I'm the chairperson of the committee and I welcome you to our meeting," she said as she introduced herself to Miho, making a bow to the other girl, expressing her apology as well as throwing a disapproving glance over towards Mikan. "You should apologize as well."

The younger girl mimicked the gesture and made an apology. "I'm sorry, Nishizumi-senpai, but if it's alright with you then I'll be going. I need to get some more paperwork from the teachers' room, I'll be back shortly, Yuuri-senpai. If you would so kindly excuse me."

After that, the older of the two girls gestured for Miho to come and have a seat as well and, as the committee was having a short break, took the opportunity to explain a little more about the planning that was being worked out by the committee.

Miho noticed how Yuuri appeared as a strikingly beautiful young teenage girl with long and straight brown hair. Following her, she noticed that said girl's hair fell freely down to her hips, a piece of her hair worn into a bun at the left side of her head, tied with a small silver-grayish colored hair clip. That and Yuuri was also a bit taller compared to her.

"So can I get you something to drink, we've got both water and juice here? Or do you want something else?" Yuuri asked as Miho sat down opposite of her at one of the many desks. "Don't be shy about asking and thank you for coming here today, it means a lot to me that you took the time to come and discuss the plans of the Sensha-do team with the committee. I was already worried that the student council might cause some _issues_ again like they did last year."

Politely declining the offer for any drinks Miho expressed her amazement at seeing how many students were present inside this room. "It really is something, isn't it? I didn't think that there would be so many students in the committee, is this all of you or are there any others?"

Staring back at Miho with her olive green eyes Yuuri chuckled, "Well there's more actually and we also have a number of teachers on the committee as well to make sure that things are passed on to the principal and of course we have members of the student council present."

As the taller girl turned her head to look to her right Miho noticed that she had a beauty mark underneath the girl's left eye and a light complexion that was prone to blushing, which did only enhance the girl's natural beauty. Though not a standard part of the Ooarai uniform, Yuuri appeared to be wearing a white cardigan over her school uniform.

Another thing that began to dawn on Miho was that she didn't get the impression that Yuuri was a fan of her much like Mikan had said earlier when she had come to invite her, had the younger girl been mistaken. "Ehm excuse me, Ichimichi-san can I ask you a question?"

"Oh my, what is it? Could it be that you thought I'd be a crazed fan of you like Mikan-chan tried to paint me off? Don't worry about it, though I guess I'll need to have a few words with her about that later on," Yuuri chuckled in response though the tone of her voice gave away some of her intent.

That said Miho felt that this girl wasn't being mean or anything, Yuuri was polite and spoke gently and judging from how people treated her she likely commanded a lot of respect. Still, she was a little curious about what the younger girl had said earlier and so she decided to ask Yuuri directly, "Sorry if I sound rude but are you a fan of me like she said you'd be?"

"Ah," Yuuri let out as she pondered on it before giving an answer. "Well, I do admire you but it's not for Sensha-do actually, I don't really like that sport all that much, to be honest. No, the reason why I admire you as a person, Nishizumi-san, is that you did everything you could to protect this school, I want to see this school remain open for years to come. I'm grateful to you for having been able to make that a reality, I wish I could've helped you as well but I couldn't."

Listening closely Miho was pleasantly surprised by that answer and at the same time also a little relieved, hearing that Yuuri wanted for the school to remain open filled her with a sense of satisfaction. "So ehm, does that mean you also love this school?"

"Who, me? Well, I guess you could say that I do," Yuuri answered the question, her face taking on a few shades of pink as she did, which gave away how she was feeling about that question. "Well I guess I've been influenced by my mother, she attended this school as well when she was young and she often told me how special this school was to her. What's funny is that she met my father on this ship as well." Yuuri began to smile as she recalled those stories.

"Oh, that sounds so romantic." Fascinated, Miho kept on listening, she didn't know why but for some reason she loved to hear the story about Yuuri's mother and father meeting on this very ship. She could imagine why this school than would be so special for the girl opposite of her, her parents had met here for the first time.

"And there's another reason, a really important one for me at least, but I'll tell you about that later," Yuuri remarked as she hinted at the door where, as on cue, Mikan came back in the room carrying the papers she had mentioned earlier and she was closely followed by two teachers. Looking up Miho recognized one of them as being her homeroom teacher Kodaira which kind of surprised her as she hadn't really thought that the young teacher would also be here, then again Miho had to admit that she really didn't know all that much about her homeroom teacher. For that matter, she didn't know anything about her other teachers either.

' _I guess I've never really taken the time to go and talk to any of them, would it be better if I did, given that we're likely going to have to work with several of them during the festival but then we already have the student council with us so I'm not sure.'_ Miho wasn't really sure what to make of it but before she had the opportunity to act she was interrupted when Yuuri spoke.

"Ah, it seems that the meeting is about to resume. If you want you can be the first one to speak and present your ideas to the committee," Yuuri remarked, in a gentle manner, as she turned back to face Miho and offered her the chance to be first. "I don't know if you're in a hurry to get back home but if you are then you might want to go first and after you've given us your presentation you can leave. You don't have to stay until the end if you don't want to but we'd all appreciate it if you could. But if you can't then it's alright with me, I can understand that you have other obligations."

"Ah no, it won't be a problem for me," Miho said in return as she shook her head and explained that she still had some time left before she needed to leave and she had gotten pretty curious to see for herself how things went inside the festival committee. "So if it's alright with you, Ichimichi-san, I'd like to stay until all of you are finished, I'd like to see how things go. It seems like it might be interesting"

Yuuri could only smile in return as she heard that, extending her hand she reached out for Miho and said, "I'm glad to hear that, Nishizumi-san. You're welcome to stay as long as you want. Now let me show you how we take care of things here in the festival committee."

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier - streets - 19.55h_

Finally leaving the school grounds Miho was feeling tired, her body and mind were exhausted after the long session that she had spent with the festival committee though at no point did she feel like it had been a waste of her time. What she did regret was that she didn't get the chance to walk home with her friends as she had told them that she would be late today.

"That sure was something special, I'm glad that I went. They seem like really nice people, I can't wait to see what the festival is going to be like," she said in a calm tone as she came to halt and craned her neck back to gaze at the sky overhead, already the first stars could be seen appearing as the last vestiges of the sun were slowly disappearing in the distance.

It filled her with joy just thinking about the many possibilities offered by the upcoming cultural festival, with people as dedicated as Yuuri or even Mikan on the committee she felt like that this festival was going to be something special alright.

"I can't wait for it to be here, come to think of it I don't think that we've ever had any kind of festival back at Kuromorimine so this is going to be my first time." Smiling as she thought about it Miho was about to resume her pace again when she noticed that in front of her there was somebody else, and looking more closely she was surprised to see that it was none other than Yuzu from the student council, it was strange seeing her without the others.

Quickening her pace she quickly caught up with the older girl and greeted her by making a bow. "Ah good evening, Koyama-senpai. I'm a little surprised to see you out here by yourself, where are the others if I may ask?"

"Oh, Nishizumi-san, I hadn't seen you. Thank you, a good evening to you as well. So how are you doing, I didn't get to see you anymore since yesterday, how did it actually go with the training match and the debriefing? Oh, and as for me being alone well Momo-chan needed some time alone and Prez went to do her own things," she mentioned though it seemed that last part about Anzu made her somewhat anxious as she let out a nervous laugh.

Although Miho didn't get any further details she could kind of imagine what Yuzu had meant when she had said that the diminutive president went out to do her own thing though she reasoned that said girl must have had a good reason to do so.

"The training match went well, there were some mistakes made but I guess that was to be expected with letting others take command, there's bound to be more problems later on but that's part of the learning curve. The debriefing went well though I haven't gotten any of the after action reports back from them yet, then again it's a new experience for them so I think some of them might be struggling with writing one."

"Is that so?" Yuzu listened as she hadn't been aware that Miho had requested for the commanders to write reports with their thoughts on the match, but as she gave it some thought she had to admit that the young captain certainly had a good idea. "Well I guess it couldn't hurt for them to write down their experience, still are you sure that it's going to help them?"

Hearing the older girl ask the question Miho found herself somewhat hesitant to give a definitive answer, "Well, it's a new experience for them and I think there'll be a learning curve but I do believe that it'll benefit them in time, and if it's not them, others will. We need to find ways to help train new members faster, the experience that we've gathered shouldn't go to waste."

Yuzu nodded her head, her ponytail swinging back and forth, "You're right, after all, that we've been through, I'd be a shame if we didn't use it. Still, do you have any ideas on how to use those reports to train new members?"

"I don't know, I was hoping that once I got the reports we could go over them and see what we can use. I know that it's easier said than done but I've never really worked with such reports either. Still, I want to do whatever I can do to help the team."

Walking alongside each other the two girls were enjoying the chance to have a more intimate talk with each other, much like Miho had yesterday with Azusa, these more private talks were enjoyable and a good opportunity for her to get to know others better.

"So Koyama-senpai, if you don't mind? How are you looking towards graduating next year?" Miho asked all of a sudden. "Do you have any plans for the future?"

That gave the older girl something to think about. "Well, I definitely want to go to college and then later on to university, with any luck I might see prez or Momo-chan there. That said, I'm a little sad about leaving this school, I've had a really great time here, I'm going to miss it."

Hearing what Yuzu had to say Miho was reminded again of how much she had come to love this school as well, she had heard a similar story from Yuuri during the meeting.

"But then, that's just how things go, isn't it? I'll definitely miss all the people I met here, but the prospect of meeting a lot of new people is also pretty exciting. I don't know if I can continue with doing Sensha-do but I do hope that there's a chance for me to keep practicing at college. That'd be really nice," while her ponytail swung from left to right as the girl kept on walking it was becoming obvious that she was enjoying herself. Somehow the small talk about their futures allowing her to open up, normally this kind of talk wouldn't be possible if they were at Anzu's office.

That resonated with Miho, she too hoped that after she would graduate from Ooarai that she could continue with doing tankery although it was going to be different without the close friends that she had met here. Then again, she was also going to meet new friends, and these days it was easy to keep in touch with others so she felt confident that she was never going to lose contact with any of her current friends

Turning her head to face the younger girl Yuzu asked her a question that said girl had not expected. "So what about you then, Nishizumi-san? What are your plans for when you graduate from Ooarai? Will you continue doing Sensha-do, then again I guess that you'll likely have a bright future if you continue with it so I can see you doing just that."

Miho forced a smile. "I don't think that I'm going to have much of a choice, after what we did at the Nationals, people will likely expect me to continue with the sport. Besides, being here with everybody, I've come to love Sensha-do again, I want to continue doing it, if I were to quit doing Sensha-do then I fear I'd lose all of the emotions and feelings that the people I care about, have put into it. I have found my way of doing Sensha-do, I want to keep holding onto it. So that I won't forget what others did for me, for their sake I can't lose these feelings and memories. I want to cherish them for the rest of my life."

Nodding her head Yuzu appeared to be satisfied with hearing that answer. "I'm glad to hear you say that Nishizumi-san, I hope that one day we'll get to meet each other again. I'd hope that I get to hear more of you in the coming years. So do you think that you might join the ranks of the University Selection? I doubt they'll find anybody better than you."

"I'm not so sure about that, I mean; there are a lot of other people who are really good at Sensha-do as well, so I don't know if I can make the cut. Even then, it's alright with me."

Reaching a crossing Yuzu came to a halt, letting Miho know that this was a far as the two of them could go, from here their paths would separate. "Thank you for having accompanied me, Nishizumi-san, I liked having the chance to talk to you. I hope you'll have a good night and I'll be seeing you again tomorrow. Oh, before I forget to mention it, be sure to visit the prez tomorrow. We've got something important to tell you. Take care and have a good night."

Saying their goodbyes Miho and Yuzu each went their own separate ways, the younger girl's mind occupied by what she had just heard, Anzu had something important to tell her tomorrow, no doubt it would be related to the team. But that could wait for tomorrow, right now all that she wanted to do was to go home, get something to eat, and go to bed early. Tomorrow would be just as busy as today had been.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – student dormitories - 21.55h_

Leaning against the railing of her balcony Azusa was reaching the end of her short break, allowing a cool sea breeze to gently caress her face she let out a deep sigh. Thinking back to this afternoon her chest swelled again with pride as she recalled the kind words that Miho had said to her. "I'm glad that I was able to gather the courage to see her yesterday," she mentioned to herself as rested her head on the railing, overlooking a portion of the carrier, she thought back to her conversation with her captain. It was enough to bring a smile to her face.

This morning she had gone and apologized to her fellow crew, offering her apologies for the way she had acted and treated her friends the day before. Fortunately for the brunette, her friends didn't mind, they had gladly accepted the apology, keen on getting their friend back. Standing there with the six of them they had made quite a scene in the hallway.

"I'm glad that our teacher could understand, I would've felt bad if we had gotten into more trouble. Well, I'm glad that I was able to make up with my friends, now I've got to make sure that I make Nishizumi-senpai proud of me as well."

Pushing her herself off she went back inside her room, her eyes resting on her work desk where the scattered pieces of her after action report lied. Ever since she had come back at the dormitories she had begun to work feverishly on the report that Miho had requested of all tank commanders. "I need to get this finished so I can hand it over during training tomorrow."

She was planning on being the first commander to hand in her report, with any luck that would enable her to impress the captain, but so far it had proven harder to make the report than she had believed at first. "This is harder than I thought, I wonder if any of the others are having as much trouble with theirs as I am. I guess I'll grab something to drink and then I'll get back to working on it."

Making her way over towards the small kitchen of her dorm room she reached over and opened the small fridge that was placed there, grabbing a bottle of juice she found herself staring at it for a moment. "I wonder if I should invite Nishizumi-senpai over some day? Would she like to come visit my room or would it be better if I visited her place instead?"

Gazing around, taking in the sight of her dorm room she was reminded that the apartment did not differ all that much compared to the one from Miho, after all, most of these dormitories had been built to similar specifications.

Sitting down on the bed she found herself staring again at the paperwork, asking herself again what else she could add to the report, already she had written a hefty amount with regards to her own functioning, the plan that she had worked out, and where she had felt that she had made mistakes.

"I wonder if the others are having any luck with theirs. No, even if they're having more luck with it, I'll still need to do my best. I was the commander of the team so my report needs to be the best one, I can't come up with anything less than that in front of, Nishizumi-senpai," she promised to herself. After the trust shown by Miho, she could not do less, more than anything she felt compelled that she needed to prove that the trust placed in her by their commander was justified.

Letting herself drop down on the bed she found herself staring at the white ceiling of her room, to think that tomorrow night she was going to visit Miho again, already she was looking forward to it. Letting her hand rest against her chest she could feel a throbbing sensation being stirred.

There was a sense of excitement coursing through her body when she thought about it, she could well imagine that some of her friends or classmates might be a little jealous of her if they were to learn that she was going to visit the legendary Miho Nishizumi.

It was almost enough to make her giggle like a little child, quickly reaching out to grab a pillow she pressed it firmly against her face as she let it all out. As she rolled onto her belly, still firmly clutching the pillow in her hands, her legs kicking wildly in the air as her excitement was starting to get the better of her. _'Ah, I can't wait till tomorrow, it'll be great.'_

* * *

 **Author's note** : And there we are folks, latest chapter for this story and like I promised a lot sooner than the previous one.

I've just gotten back from the Santa Fe Event 2017, and damn can I say that it has been a busy weekend. A terrific event, very enjoyable, met a lot of great people and simply had a blast. A little backstory on this event for those of you who've never heard of it, plenty of you most likely, this event is much like Militracks is but it focuses on mainly American and some British vehicles.

I had hoped to get the chance to catch a ride in the M4 but sadly it broke down, seems like it has been in the repair shop for a month now with them waiting for a new gear shaft. Somewhat disappointed but not much one can do about it. So I made due with the next best thing which was an M20 utility car, which proved to be more enjoyable than I thought it would, given that the driver was not afraid to floor it. Met some great people, had some very enjoyable talks about the vehicles, and I was able to add a few more books to my collection though I guess my wallet hates me for it. Long weekend but a great time… and now I'm tired…

Spent a fair amount of time editing this chapter so that I can get it posted today. Oh well, sleep can wait, damn I hate having to get up early in the morning. Then again, this one needs to get posted so I can resume working again on the next chapter, a good portion of it is already written.

Also, do some of you know that it's almost 5 years ago since a little phenomenon called GuP was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world? Weird, thinking about how long it's been with us already. I can't wait to see what we're going to get with 'das Finale' later this year though I guess for most of us outside of Japan it'll likely be mid next year at best. Still, it's pretty exciting, don't you think?

Well, enjoy the chapter, in case you haven't already, feel free to follow or favorite this story so you can keep yourself up to date whenever a new update comes through. Feel free to leave a review if there's something you want to comment on or have a question about, as it is nice to hear from you.

So have a nice week and take care folks. See you all soon.


	6. Invitation to Battle!

**Invitation to Battle!**

Sitting at her desk Miho was thinking back to what Yuzu had said to her during their walk home, it made her think back to friends that she had long lost contact with, friends she had made in elementary school. Just thinking about it she found herself asking how long it had been, six, maybe even seven years since they had said their goodbyes to each other.

"I guess that Emi is likely in Germany, I wonder what it's like there," she said underneath her breath as her gaze was being drawn outside. "I hope that she's working hard to fulfilling our promise. I'd really like to see her though I guess it'd be hard to make a journey to Germany, I guess I'd have to wait until our winter break if I wanted to go and visit her."

Getting up from the desk and making her way towards her bed she lied down, thinking about what it might be for her to go to Germany for a while in search of her friend then again it had been so long since they had last seen each other. Even worse, ever since then she had lost all contact with said girl, somewhere Miho was feeling a sense of guilt for having let that happen.

Staring at her ceiling she told herself, "I've lost contact with all of them after I enrolled into Kuromorimine, I really wish we could've kept in touch with each other, I should've…"

Having only herself to blame for letting it happen Miho rolled over onto her belly before she whispered, "I've never even taken the time to get into contact with Hitomi and Chihiro after we graduated. I feel bad about it, losing contact with the first friends I ever made…"

It was in such stark contrast to who the person she had become, these days she spared no expense in order to stay in touch with her friends. But with her first friends she had done just the opposite of that, she had failed to keep in touch with any of them.

Maybe it wasn't too late to get back in touch with them again but she had to ask herself where she would start with her search, she had no idea to which schools her friends had gone to which made it difficult but she was aware that she would need to start somewhere.

"Maybe I should ask Prez and the others of the student council for help? Maybe they can help me with finding my old friends again," she summarized, thinking that with its connections it might be possible for them to find a lead, another option was for her to contact her old school and see if she could get any contact details that they might still have.

Getting up from the bed and taking a seat at her work desk Miho got struck by a sudden idea, maybe there was also the possibility that she could get back in touch with her old friends through social media. And if Emi was still doing tankery in Germany then maybe with the aid of articles and such Miho might be able to track her old friend's location down.

Going to one of the search engines she typed in several terms for tankery in German but once she saw the list of hits it generated she became aware that this was going to take a lot longer than she might have given it credit for. "This might take a bit longer than I thought, then again I never thought that Sensha-Do could be so popular there."

Going through a number of the links Miho eventually found herself on a site where videos were uploaded, for a brief moment she thought about viewing some but she dismissed that as the chance of seeing Emi in one of them would be far too low. And besides, after she has checked one out, some might just not be of a decent quality after all.

Letting out an exasperated sigh she closed the page and turned away from her pc, well this would be something for tomorrow then, at least that was what she was trying to tell herself.

"I'd really like to see them again, it's been so long, and we've all been through so much ever since. I guess we'd all have a lot to talk about, our hopes and our dreams, the things that we've been able to realize. Ah, I'd so like to hear those."

Resuming her place on her bed Miho had a look at her room, just being by herself made the room appear so large and empty. It just made her want to invite her friends to come on over and spend the night together though it would likely be a little cramped if they tried to sleep here with five people. A shame as she really fancied the prospect of a sleepover.

A sleepover, that reminded her again of the day that Alice had come to visit her school, such a shame that the younger girl had felt that she needed to be at another school in order to continue fighting against Miho. Such a terrible shame as Miho had wanted for nothing more than the two of them to fight together but there was little she could have done about it.

"I really hope that you've found a place to call your own, Alice-chan, I really hope that we'll get to see each other again, I hope that it'll be soon," she said to herself, rolling over onto her side, she found herself staring at various of her Boko dolls. Smiling in response the girl was feeling a sensation being stirred in her chest at the thought of seeing the younger girl again.

That reminded her, she needed to get into contact with the younger girl and though, fortunately, she had the sense of mind to get the girl's contact information, she had not yet done anything with that information.

Letting out a deep sigh she said, underneath her breath, "I really hope that you've met wonderful people there, Alice-chan. People, you can call friends, if you've met them, then I'd love to meet them too." It was what she wished for the most for the younger girl, for her to find the same kind of friends that she had come to meet her at Oarai.

Her dear friends, those wonderful people that she had come to meet and befriend onboard this ship, the people she held so dear to her heart, how much they had come to mean to her. If the young Alice could come to befriend such people as well then Miho couldn't be any happier.

"Oh no, it's that late already," she let out in surprise when her eyes finally came to rest on the little alarm clock, she had been so busy, lost in her own thoughts that she had failed to notice that it was already well past midnight and she still had things to take care of before she could go to sleep.

Getting off from the bed she rushed back to her work desk, this night was far from over, there were still various pieces of homework that needed her attention. Opening her textbooks Miho just prayed that she wasn't going to end up as Mako did in the morning. Well, she would worry about that tomorrow, for now, she needed to focus her attention on what still remained of her homework because otherwise, she might just find herself in trouble with her teachers.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – streets – 08.10h Tuesday_

"So how was it yesterday?" Hana asked the question that was on everyone's mind as the five girls crossed the street, once the last member of their group had joined up the topic had immediately shifted to Miho's talk with the festival committee the previous day as nobody had seen her ever since.

"Did they give you any trouble, Miporin?" Saori chimed in as well, only too keen to learn more. "So what kind of people were they? Where there any weird ones? Did they give you a hard time? What did they say about our plans? Oh c'mon, Miporin, tell us?"

Blinking with her eyes as it took a few moments before the questions from her friends had registered with her Miho was doing her utmost best to not let her friends see her yawn but it was too little avail.

"Are you alright, Miporin? You look pretty tired you know that, don't tell me they were so mean to you that you couldn't get any sleep at all?!" Saori demanded, jumping to conclusions, without even given her friend as so much as an opportunity to give an answer in return.

"A-Ah, no. N-No, no!" Waving her arms around the distressed Miho was only too quick in order to try and stop this little misunderstanding from escalating any further. "I-It's nothing like that, it's just that…" she looked away from her friends, fiddling a little with her hair. "… I'm just a little tired, I forgot about the time yesterday when I came home and I almost forgot to do my homework… so because of that… I…"

"That doesn't really sound like you, Miho-san," the graceful, long-haired gunner remarked as she and her friends listened to the explanation of the brunette and while it did explain as to why said girl appeared to be tired it was at odds at how she always appeared.

"You should've stayed in bed, I would've." Was all that Mako had to say, adding her own opinion to the discussion at hand, although it did little as the rest figured out that this was more of a reflection on the diminutive girl's own desires.

"Mako, please…" Saori said in response, followed by her letting out an exasperated sigh, before turning back and having a look at the brunette in question. Although she felt that it would be wrong to be absent from class she also had to admit that given her pale looking face it would have been better for Miho to catch some much-needed rest.

Guess it was to be fortunate for them that they had relatively simple classes today so there wasn't going to be much of a strain placed on the girl's exhausted physique. "So Miporin, do you think you're gonna be alright? You could've called in sick and get some rest. Still, I'd prefer it if you stayed in school with us, I'm actually looking forward to home economics today~."

"Eh, why's that?" the fluffy-haired brunette asked, unaware as to why the other girl was looking forward to that class, it wasn't like they did anything special there. "How come you're so keen on it, Takebe-dono? Is there anything special about today?"

Saori gave a warm smile in return before she said, "Not really, but we're making curry today so I've actually been looking forward to trying out a new recipe in class today. Of course, if you want we can make some extra for Mako and you, Yukarin."

Perplexed Yukari blinked her eyes as she asked, "For real? Are you sure that's alright, what if your teacher won't let you? You know how strict she can be."

Listening closely Miho knew what her friend was talking about, their home economics teacher, miss Saginomiya was pretty strict when it came to taking any of the foods they had cooked in class outside of the classroom. Furthermore, she wasn't all that keen on her students wasting food or making more than what they would need for class.

"I don't think she'll mind as long as we go and ask her if it's alright before class starts, also I brought extra ingredients with me today so I think we should be fine," Saori mentioned in return, holding up the plastic grocery bag that she had brought along with her. "I'll go and ask her if it's alright when we have our first break, she should be in the teacher's office if I'm not mistaken."

The rest of them decided to take the ginger-haired girl's word for it, if she felt confident that she could persuade the teacher in question then they would put their trust in her. And should their teacher refuse, then they would simply need to look at making Saori's new curry at home. Come to think of it, they might just do that anyway.

Craning her neck up to gave at the blue sky overhead Miho let out a quick sigh as the discussion had veered off wildly, she kept asking herself how it was possible for a conversation which had initially started about her dealing with the festival committee would reach a point where they were talking about home economics and eventually curry, truth be told, it was rather impressive but it also meant that she would need to steer their talk back to where they had started.

Most of all because she wanted to let her friends know that she had a great time yesterday while she had been a guest there, she wanted to let the others know how impressed she had been with the dedication and the passion she had sensed from those students. Miho had come to this realization when she had watched Yuuki address the people, each and every time people clung to her lips, listening to what she had to say, in many ways Miho hoped that she could be a bit just like she was; confident when addressing people, inspiring others to set their differences aside and work together towards a common goal.

"To go back to your earlier question, Hana-san, I really had a great time there," the brunette said, she was going to tell them everything about last night, her friends should know of it.

"Huh, Miporin, are you talking when you went to see the committee? Where did this come from all of a sudden? "

"Took you long enough," Mako let out, taking a jab at the ginger-haired girl. The diminutive girl had been waiting for just an opportunity to get back at her for that earlier remark.

The other girl's reaction, which was to be expected, did not keep them waiting. "Hey, that's mean! You take that back, now! Meanie!"

"My, my, Saori-san, you shouldn't be rude towards Mako-san, after all, it's not her fault that you weren't paying attention to our conversation earlier. Fufufu," she said, chuckling as she did, seeming to want to get a part of the action as well and to get some personal enjoyment for herself as well in the process as they continued on their way towards their school. Despite her refined and polite appearance on the outside, the graceful gunner did have a bit of a cheeky side to her.

Neither Miho nor Yukari decided to act on the matter, silently enjoying the moment as the friendly banter between the other three girls was kicked into high gear. This was going to last for a while, watching it all unfold it reminded Miho again of the time spent with her previous friends, there would often be plenty of banter between Emi and Chihiro, as neither of those two was shy about expressing their opinion. Those could lead to some tense moments alright.

Of course, with the banter taking place that also meant that Miho could likely forget about telling her friends about her experience the day before, well that would then have to wait until their break, not necessarily a bad thing as it would give them all something to talk about. Not that they needed it as there was bound to be enough stuff for them to talk about, whenever the five of them would gather at one of their usual spots they would talk up a storm about even the most common of occurrences but then wasn't that what being high school students was about. To enjoy the simple things in life, spending time with the dearest of friends, and making sure that one had plenty of fun in doing so.

"Nishizumi-dono, you look like you're really enjoying yourself," Yukari whispered to her friend. "Did something really good happen to you last night?"

Giving the other girl a warm smile in return Miho nodded her head as she answered the question, "It did, Yukari-san, that it did." Even this morning was already off to a good start.

Greeting one of the members of the school's Moral Committee the girls noticed much to their surprise that one very specific member appeared to be absent from her duty today.

"Sodoko's not here? How tardy," Mako was all too quick to remark as she registered the girl's unusual absence, barely able to contain her yawn as the five of them continued with making their way towards the main entrance. "She's being sloppy."

The other four girls exchanged looks with each other, it wasn't like Mako was in any position to say that, especially in light of her past record. But they didn't say a word of it, as despite the rather snarky tone that Mako had used it could not hide that deep inside the diminutive girl was a little worried about not seeing the other girl.

Once inside, and after they had all donned their indoor shoes Miho excused herself as she needed to go to Anzu's office and see what the student council wanted to discuss with her. She didn't know how long it was going to take her but she expected to be reunited with her friends before their first break. Saying their goodbyes the group broke up, the girls going their own respective ways.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – student council office - 08.25h_

Approaching the office Miho couldn't help but wonder as to why Anzu had called for her, well the most likely reasons she could come up with had to do with thinking up possible new training methods, the acquisition of new components or even tanks, or possibly it was about that the order they had placed for the new gun for Rabbit had arrived at the store.

She had excused herself from her friends as Miho had deemed it better if this conversation was to be kept between the student council and her. If there was anything that concerned the team as a whole than she would share it with them later on.

"Well I guess I'm going to find out soon enough," Miho said to herself as she came to a halt in front of the door leading to the office, raising her arm she gently knocked on the door and waited. "It's a good thing that we had maintenance scheduled for today."

"Ah Nishizumi, you're here," Momo let out when she noticed the brunette standing there after she opened the door, one of her eyes a little squinted as she appeared to be in a bit of an irritated mood, "You're a little late though. Now, please, follow me."

Greeting the dark haired girl in return Miho followed her as she was led through the staff office and further towards the office used by Anzu, making the occasional glance she noticed that there was a frenzy of activity taking place, no doubt a consequence of the upcoming festival.

"Hey, Nishizumi-chan~!" Anzu beamed, in her usual carefree and cheerful tone, the moment the little twin tail spotted the brunette entering her office, "Glad to see you could make it, I've got some pretty exciting news for you! You've gotta hear this! This is gonna be fun!"

Seeing at how excited the diminutive president was only brought conflicting emotions as prior experience had shown Miho that sometimes the things that got Anzu excited where the things that most people could do without, then again she figured that there could be no harm in listening to what the president had to say. Given that she had been called out here, it had to involve her in one way or another.

Remaining where she stood Miho went ahead and asked the obvious question, "So does this mean that the gun we ordered at the shop has already been delivered? When can we expect the Automotive Club to finish installing it in the M3?"

"No, no, no!"Anzu was only too quick to remark, waving her hand to gesture that Miho's guess had been wrong, turning to her left as she addressed the brunette with the ponytail standing next to her. "Koyama, show her what I mean, give her the letters."

"We've received several letters in the last few days with requests," Momo filled in Miho as Yuzu approached her and handed said girl several letters. "We'd like for you to read them and tell us what you think of the requests made to us? We felt that it was best to consult you about them before we reach a decision."

Going through them Miho took her time to carefully read the three examples that she had been given, the one from Maginot seemed to be an invitation to view their upcoming match against Chihatan. She definitely liked the idea of paying a visit as it would offer her the opportunity to see Éclair and Nishi again, something she was already looking forward to.

"I like the sound of this, but the match seems to be scheduled on a school day so I don't think it's possible for any of us to visit," she mentioned after she had noticed the date and time mentioned in the letter, it was a shame but there wasn't much that she could do about it.

"Ah, no problem, Nishizumi-chan~," Anzu was only too quick to mention as she waved her hand. "There's no problem at all. I can give you a special permit, you and four others as well." Holding up her hand she gestured that five people in total would be permitted to be absent that day to go and visit the match.

Blinking with her eyes Miho was taken aback a little as she asked, "But won't that get us into trouble with any of the teachers or the principal? I mean, we can't just be absent from class."

"As the student council we have that power," Momo said, taking a step forward while adjusting her monocle, filling in Miho that this would not pose a problem at all. Once Anzu's signature was on the documents no teacher or the school's principal would object, and besides it was not like the students here had a record of being absent.

Accepting the words of assurance Miho continued as she read the second letter, she had heard of this school but that didn't make the request any less odd. Despite her best efforts she was struggling to come up with a suitable reason as to why Viggen had requested for some of Oarai's tankery team members to come over and help train their own team.

"We felt that it was a little odd as well," Yuzu mentioned when she noticed the expression on Miho's face. "We don't really get it either but it seems that they're trying to get their team build up again. We don't have all of the details yet but they kinda have had the same problem as we had in that their team disbanded and they've been struggling to get enough members."

"Is that so," Miho called as she listened to the explanation that was given to her by the brunette, that certainly made sense to her and following that reasoning she could see why Viggen had made their request. That said, Miho couldn't help but think that it was also going to difficult for them to help the other school with their request as it wouldn't be easy to provide them with what their team needed, motivation and a desire to participate, a desire to be a part of it.

"We're still looking into the finer details," Momo called, adding to the earlier explanation. "But the best option that we can come up with at the moment is arranging for some of their students to come visit us so we can train them. Of course, that will mean that we will need to agree on a location for both ships to meet."

That sounded like a lot of trouble to Miho but then this was something that would be taken care of by others, so for the time being it was not an immediate concern to her. And with that, she came to the last of the three letters that she had been handed.

"Tarczay High, huh?" she mentioned underneath her breath, raising an eyebrow as she read the name a second time, struggling with it she found herself having to admit that she had never heard of this school before, even during her time at Kuromorimine she had never once heard the name Tarczay High being mentioned. "I've never heard of them before."

"There's a good reason for that," the monocle-eyed girl said in response to that remark. "Reason being that their school stopped doing Sensha-Do about six years ago, so it's not much of a surprise that most people haven't heard of them." And with that Momo began with a rather lengthy explanation of what she had been able to uncover about this school since yesterday, it went without saying that Miho was going to be stuck in the office for a little longer than she had anticipated.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier - class 2-A - 09.20h_

Sitting in her classroom, Saori was anxious to find out why Miho had gone to discuss with the student council, she hadn't seen the girl anymore ever since they had split ways at the main entrance, right now they just had homeroom for which her friend had been excused.

' _Guess it must be nice to be on good terms with the student council,'_ she thought, her right arm supporting her head as she began to wonder what they could be discussing up there. The most likely explanation is that it simply had to do with the team. _'Is it about that new gun that they ordered for Rabbit's tank, or have they maybe gotten us stuck in another weird training match, or could it be that they want to talk about the future of the team? Miporin, you need to get back here.'_

She had hoped that they could have gotten together during their first break but as that had come and go it was obvious that Miho was going to be gone for a bit longer than any of them could have thought. A shame as she wanted to show her latest creation off to Miho, she had spent this morning making several new additions to her growing lunchbox in the thought of sharing them with her friends.

Throwing a glance over her shoulder, noting the long-haired girl sitting just to her right, she let out a short sigh. As much as she valued her friend she was a little upset that said friend had been responsible for gobbling up most of the treats that she had made and wanted to share, in hindsight she really should have seen this coming as the dark-haired girl's ravenous appetite was no mystery to her. Well, she could always make more when she got home and make sure that she had enough that would not only satiate her friend's appetite but still allow her to share with the others.

"Right," she whispered to herself, clenching her fist as if to emphasize her resolve though a cursory glance at her long-haired friend was already enough to make that resolve rather shaky. _'I'm going to need to make a lot of extra today, Hanna's got that look in her eyes.'_

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind she turned her attention back to their teacher, well at least she had one less worry to lose her head over. Much to her own relief their home economics teacher had granted the ginger-haired girl's request but said teacher had also made it clear that she expected for the excess food to be put to good use, that once they were finished they would clean up the room, and if she to find out that any of it had been thrown away there would be a penalty involved.

' _Well it's not like there's gonna be much left when Hana gets her hands on it,'_ she thought to herself, smiling as she did because she knew for certain that nothing would go to waste, one particular friend of hers would make sure of that.

It had pretty gone as she had expected, as long as one would come and ask miss Saginomiya beforehand then she was likely going to grant the request. Saori was getting anxious to get to grips when she and her friends could start cooking, she just needed to make sure that the other two would understand what she would be expecting from them. Oh, that did remind her, there had been a second condition that she had gotten from her teacher, said teacher, wanted to have a sample of the curry that Saori was planning on making to taste for herself.

' _I hope she's going to like it, come to think of it, I've never cooked for other people besides my friends, not counting mom and dad of course.'_ It made her think about her family back home, for some reason that she couldn't quite explain she felt an unmistakable urge to give them a call when she would get home. She just wanted to hear their voices.

Maybe she could give them a quick call during her next break, then again she knew that her parents were at work, which was going to make it harder for her to call them. _'Guess it won't do me any good if I were to call them before I get home, I'll just have to try tonight, maybe after I've taken a bath.'_

Reaching out for her pen she began to scribble down some notes, reminding herself that she still needed to do her best in her studies, even if she was a little less enthusiastic about the homework. Eventually, though her mind began to slowly drift back to wondering where her friend was and before the ginger-haired girl was even aware of it, she had lost her interest in her teacher and what she had written on the board.

Putting down the pencil she let out an exasperated sigh, this wasn't going to work.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – school hallways – 10.00h_

Coming around the corner Miho was surprised when she found herself staring into the olive green eyes of Yuuri who stood at the bottom of the stairs, "Ah, Ichimichi-san, sorry, I hadn't noticed you," she was quick to apologize, "Good day to you, how's it going?"

The taller girl gave a gentle smile in return, "I'm fine, and a good day to you too Nishizumi-san. As for how it's going, well, it's been very busy as we've got a lot to take care of. That said, we're really looking forward to this year and personally, I can't wait to see how many visitors were going to be getting. And it's all going to be because of you, from what you told us yesterday it sounds like the Sensha-Do team has got something planned to show people how nice and fun this school is."

Miho's face took on a few hues of pink as she heard the appraisal, though truth be told, it didn't sit well with her for being the sole recipient of the praise, everybody on the team had done their best to make it happen.

Noticing the change in the light brunette's demeanor Yuuri was quick to offer her apologies, "I'm sorry Nishizumi-san, I didn't mean to imply that you're the only one, which was a stupid thing for me to say. Everybody on the Sensha-Do team needs to be praised for what they did for our school, it was a little disrespectful of me to suggest otherwise, and again I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Miho said in return as she knew that Yuuri hadn't meant it like that, it had simply been a slip of the tongue, then again the girl had raised a good point in that Miho's name itself was a selling point for their school. "I guess a lot of people will likely think that our school did so well is because of me, no doubt I'm likely the reason why people will be coming to visit our school during the festival."

Not saying a worth in return as she still felt a little silly for having said it in the first place Yuuri became aware that this was troubling the team's commander, it was somewhat strange but also admirable in that the commander refused to accept all of the praise for the team's performance, perhaps that was also one of the reasons why so many students looked up to this girl. "You're really something, aren't you, Nishizumi-san? You create miracles, you bring out the best in people, you inspire others to greatness, people will go beyond and above the call of duty for you, and yet you still remain so modest about it. You're not letting any of the fame of praise get to you. I really admire you for that, and being a little honest I also envy you for it."

Blinking her eyes Miho was left speechless for a moment as the words directed at her sank in, she could feel the sincerity behind them, it was a testimony to the person she had become, a person that she felt rightly proud of.

"So if you don't mind me asking, why aren't you in class, Nishizumi-san?" Yuuri asked her, feeling a little curious about why the other girl was not in her respective classroom, only a select few students were allowed to roam the hallways when classes were in session. "Do you have your pass with you? You might otherwise get into trouble."

That reminded Miho, she had overheard Yuzu making a mention of that but she hadn't really given it much attention as she had been so busy.

It was almost comical to think that she might get into trouble because of this, well if anybody were to ask her she would explain it to them, she reasoned that she could likely get away with it given that she had been called to Anzu's office.

"Ehm, I actually don't have one," Miho answered the other girl's question, feeling a little ashamed of having to admit that. "I just got back from the student council's office and I-."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Yuuri remarked as she heard the mention of the student council. "Well I guess then you don't really need to worry about it, pardon me for asking but why were you called there? Please don't tell me it's because _she_ has another crazy idea for the festival."

It was at this point that Miho noticed that there was a hint of irritation in the other girl's voice, betraying a sense of resentment that Yuuri might have towards Anzu. Had something happened in the past between these two girls that could explain this sudden attitude?

Even if it was, this was something that Miho felt that she had no right to intervene, if there was an issue then it should be worked out between the two girls themselves.

"Ah no, I was called into the office because we got several invitations from other Sensha-Do teams. The prez simply wanted my opinion on them as I think they couldn't really decide on which one they wanted to act first," she said, giving an answer to the question made by Yuuri who was visibly relieved to hear that it had nothing to do with the festival.

"Thank goodness, I was already afraid that it was going to be a repeat of last year," the tall girl mentioned underneath her breath, followed by her letting out an exasperated sigh. Her hand still pressed against her chest Yuuri took in a big breath of air.

It caught Miho's curiosity, given that she only came to Oarai this year, she had no idea on how things had been the previous school year. "Last year, did anything happen back then?"

Waving her hand the other girl was quick to inform the shorter girl that she should not let it bother her too much. "Please, don't think too much about it, but well, you of all people are likely aware that our school's prez can be a little… how do I put this?" Bringing up her hand and letting it rest against her chin Yuuri was trying her best to come up with the right word.

"I understand," Miho said, there was no further need for the other girl to explain as she had experienced it for herself first hand at how fickle Anzu could be, of course, the diminutive girl always had the school's best intentions at heart but there were times when her actions might cause trouble for others.

"Ah, so you've already seen it yourself?" the taller girl asked, her olive green eyes staring at Miho with her voice giving away that she wasn't all that much surprised. "She really can be a handful, she's a really kind person but there are times where I wish she would pay a little more attention to others. I just hope that the new student council will be more thoughtful."

Chuckling a little Miho was finding this little, if somewhat awkward conversation, to be rather enjoyable, learning a bit more about the other side of people that she rarely, if ever, saw. "I know, right? Still, she's not a bad person, she's just a little… ehm different."

"My, my," the other girl said, a kind smile gracing the features of her face, her arms now folded across her chest as she said, "That's a rather polite way of putting it, but I think you're right. She's a difficult, even demanding person at times. But she does know what's right; I think that this school's saving has as much to owe to you as it does to her efforts."

The two girls could only laugh in response, both of them knowing that what had been said to be true, nobody could deny that it was thanks to Anzu's perseverance and effort that they had been given an opportunity to save their school.

"Well, I need to get going now, I've still got some paperwork that I need to deliver," the taller girl mentioned as she took a quick look at her watch. "I enjoyed our little talk, Nishizumi-san, I'm looking forward already to running into you again. Though if you ever feel like wanting to talk to me about anything, then please feel free to come visit me at the festival committee. Take care now, Nishizumi-san, Bye, bye."

"Thank you for everything, Ichimichi-san. Until next time, goodbye," Miho waved her off as the taller girl walked past her and went further up the stairs until she disappeared out of sight. Waiting a little Miho could still hear the girl's footsteps echoing from somewhere above, having waited for long enough, she felt that it was about time for her to go as well, her friends were no doubt waiting for her join them again, and it was pretty likely that they were all curious about her talk with the student council.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – home economics classroom – 12.00h_

The door of the classroom swung open as Saori admitted herself, using the spare key she had gotten from their teacher. Closing it behind her, the ginger-haired girl went over towards the pot where her curry had been waiting for her. "Ah great, it's still just like I've left it, I really should thank Saginomiya-sensei for having kept an eye on it. I do wonder if she already took out some for herself, well if she did I hope she likes it."

"I'll let you know after I've had a taste of it." A voice came from behind, startling the girl. Who was so surprised by it that she didn't dare to look who it was. "C'mon, don't tell me that was already enough to scare you? I told you that I would be coming to collect my share."

Daring to turn around Saori saw, much to her own relief, that it was none other than their home economics teacher, miss Saginomiya, letting out an exasperated sigh the girl was able to calm down again. "Uhm, sorry about that, sensei. It's just that I didn't expect you so soon."

The woman stepped forward, the long coat she was always wearing, moving along with the movements of her legs. She always seemed to have this somewhat stern expression on her face but she was always polite and kind to her students. "Well, given that you're planning to share it with four more students, one of which being Isuzu, I figured it be best if I got here early to collect my share. Truth be told, I'm a little curious as to how your curry is going to taste. Besides I'd like to make sure that the five of you aren't going to make a scene or cause any problems for me."

Making her way over towards one of the rice cookers Saori pulled out the extra packs of rice she had brought with her, given that she needed to make plenty of portions today she had been wise enough to bring an extra pack or two with her to school. Turning it on and filling it with both rice and water, adding some salt, pepper, and other flavorings, she pressed the dial, noting on the display how long it was going to take for the rice to be ready. Satisfied with that she turned to the cooker next to it and repeated the process, with two of them filled she felt confident that she was going to have enough rice for all of them.

"So where exactly did you come up with the idea of making a sweet curry like this, I'm a little curious what gave you the inspiration for trying it?" her teacher asked as she came up next to the younger girl. "It did have a nice smell to it when you were busy in making it, then again you always do well in my class so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. So as a question, have you ever considered in taking cooking up as a profession? You've got talent."

The ginger-haired girl wasn't really sure what to make of that, sure she liked cooking, and if the others word were to be taken then she was apparently also pretty good at it. But taking cooking up as a profession was something that she hadn't considered before, she wasn't even sure if she was good enough but she had to admit that it did sound somewhat exciting when she thought about it. "Y-You really think so, sensei?"

"I do, that said don't rush yourself, so please think this through," Saginomiya said as she answered the girl's question. "Well, I guess you all will be doing a lot of orientation next year. But first, let's make sure that's everything set up and ready for your friends. I'd prefer if they don't make a mess of my classroom."

Nodding her head in agreement Saori went to work quickly at getting everything set up so that her friends would not have to, there was going to be less for them to clean up if she could get it all set up so that when her friends would come in they could take a seat and begin.

"I hope we haven't kept you waiting, did we?" Miho mentioned as she and the others opened the door and stepped inside, noticing the sweet fragrance that had spread throughout the room. "Oh, it smells wonderful."

"Not at all!" Saori replied in her usual cheerful manner. "I'm just about ready to serve it all up, so go ahead and pick a seat. We can get started right away."

Soon all five members of the fabled Anglerfish had clustered together at one of the many tables that filled the classroom, and having taken her rightful portion their teacher had excused herself, wishing them a good meal and reminding them that she fully expected them to clean up everything after they were done. Hana's stomach let out a loud gurgling sound, which immediately prompted a red-faced blush from the graceful gunner.

Inside the classroom, the quintet of girls was enjoying themselves with the curry that had been made by a few of them earlier that day now that they had been left to their own devices.

"I'm really glad that we still had plenty left of it, it was also very kind of Saginomiya-sensei to let us make use of the classroom," Miho remarked before she took a bite from her piece. "Hmm, it tastes so good you know. Ah, Saori-san, this curry is just heaven."

Hana nodded her head in agreement as she worked down her piece in no less than two bites, with her mouth stuffed she tried to talk. "Wellfff itff tastfff goofff."

"Oh, it looks great Takebe-dono, and it tastes even better than it looks," Yukari exclaimed right after she had taken a bite. "Hmm, I can't believe how rich the flavor is, I don't think I've ever had a sweet curry like this one. You've got to give me the recipe, I think mom would love to make this. You're really good at cooking, aren't you Takebe-dono."

"I… ehm… try to do my best, I've always liked cooking and before I came to Oarai I would help out my mom whenever she was making dinner," the ginger-haired girl said in response, but she seemed to be a little too modest about her skills.

To Miho she gave off the impression that she hadn't expected to be praised by her friends again, despite this curry being possibly the best they ever have had, it was just like when they had gotten to enjoy the hotcakes at Mako's place.

Fortunately, though, Saori was able to make a quick recovery. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Let's dig in before it gets cold!"

The other four girls took her advice to heart, with gusto even, turning on their food and enjoying this delicious meal with the five of them.

"I'm glad," Saori let out, shifting uncomfortably on the chair, "I've never made this kind of sweet curry before so I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. I was a little worried at first that it might not be to your taste." She grinned with a sense of satisfaction, her face being graced by the usual kind smile she had. "But I guess that if you guys all like it that much then it must be good!"

"Or maybe you simply don't have any discerning friends," Mako remarked, remaining blissfully unaware that her that comment had been rendered somewhat moot by the obvious fact that it had been delivered between distinctly eager spoon-sized bites.

"Well, I guess that means you're not so fussed about your meals so I can just leave the cooking up to you then," the ginger-haired girl shot back at Mako with a sickeningly sweet grin on her face, prompting an immediate and uneasy sounding gulp from her childhood friend. "I take it that it shouldn't be a problem for you now, should it?"

Leaning a little closer to Miho, the fluffy-haired brunette whispered to her. "I think that Reizei-dono's in trouble, isn't she?" Getting a simple nod for a reply she continued. "Maybe it's better if she stopped provoking Takebe-dono, you know? I think she goes a little too far with it sometimes." Another distracted nod was her answer, not satisfied with it Yukari frowned a little as she asked. "Ehm, Nishizumi-dono, is there something on your mind?"

"Hmmm, huh? Oh, it's nothing," Miho said before she placed her phone back in her schoolbag. "I was just checking if I got any news from my sister, we've been getting closer again after that match. I haven't been able to gather the courage to face my mother yet though…"

"You're still a little daunted by the prospect of getting to see your mother again, is that right?" Yukari asked, prompting a surprised look from the girl she had come to idolize. "Nishizumi-dono, you shouldn't look so surprised, by now I think that I know you well enough to know that you fret yourself over about whether or not you've worked hard enough. I know that I don't really have a right to say this, but I think you shouldn't worry so much about seeing your mother again. I mean… she did come to our aid didn't she…"

Letting out a soft chuckle, Miho had a melancholic expression cross her face, as she said. "I know that I worry too much, Yukari-san. But I can't help it, I just don't know if my mother is proud of me or not, it's been a long while since we've last talked to each other."

It left a sad smile on Yukari's face, she knew that for all of the many qualities that Miho possessed, the girl also had the starting inability to perceive them for herself, a feat that, in Yukari's eyes, was rather depressing. But at the moment she couldn't find the rights words, so it was with a heavy heart that she decided if somewhat reluctantly, to let it slide this time.

"Oh my," a whine came from across the table. "Mine's all gone."

The other four girls, who had so far been engrossed in their own little individual conversations, glanced over to where the graceful long-haired girl was sitting, a mere look already enough to tell that her plate was entirely devoid of either curry or rice, or for that matter, any morsel of food. Hana simply sat there with an air of innocence surrounding her, as if she had not just polished off a substantial portion of food within a ridiculously short time.

Saori just sighed in reaction, shaking her head. "I still have some left, if you want I can make you a second plate. Would that be okay?"

"Oh, that would be wonderful." Hana smiled beautifully.

A soothing atmosphere settled over the table for the next ten minutes as the girls finished off what remained of their lunch, enjoying the peaceful air Miho reached out for her cup and had a sip of the tea that she had poured for herself, sadly it had gone a little tepid.

"Ughhh…" Mako moaned. "It's almost half-past, do we already have to leave, why don't we just skip class and get some rest here," she added, apparently she was anything but keen on having to give up on her comfortable seat. "Oh, you guys might be late if you don't leave."

Nevertheless, her little remark had a profound effect on her friends who all jumped up.

"You all leave if you want, I got permission from our teacher to be a bit later in class, I'll finish up the dishes and get everything cleaned up so that Saginomiya-sensei will be happy," Saori said as she got up from her seat, letting her friends know that it was alright for them to leave. Astute as she had been, this was actually something that she had kept in mind and had planned accordingly. "Go on, I'll see you in class. See ya there!"

Spending some time by herself thinking about what to make for dinner tonight also was going to do her some good even though it was still rather early to start working on it she could do with a little distraction right about now.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – Miho's apartment – 20.40h_

Having finished the last of the preparations for the evening Miho allowed herself a moment of respite, finally feeling that everything was ready for the evening she wiped some of the sweat from her forehead as she said. "Phew, I think I've got everything sorted for tonight. I just hope that Azusa-san is going to like it. Oh, it seems like I still have a little time left before she arrives."

With that she went back to the kitchen to get herself a fresh cup of tea, waiting for the water to start boiling she reached up in one of the cabinets and pulled out a mug. Pouring herself some she thought that lately she had been drinking tea more often, perhaps a side effect of her exposure to the maidens of St. Gloriana, although she herself preferred a milder green tea to their black tea, she was more welcome to its relaxing properties, especially when she would find herself in some of those late-night planning sessions.

Waiting in her kitchen Miho was listening to the silence that had settled in her apartment, it was a little odd and yet the tranquility of it all was also pleasing in a way that helped her to clear her mind. "I guess Yukari-san was right, I shouldn't be scared about getting to see mom again. Well, at first I should try contacting my sister again and ask her how mom's doing."

Dragging her feet across the floor as she kept on thinking about it Miho didn't notice the sound of the kettle whistling, immersed in her own thoughts and losing track of the time, she wasn't even aware of the buzz that came from her front door until finally, somebody knocked on her door.

"Ah, I'm coming!" Miho called as she rushed towards the front door, feeling silly about not having noticed it any sooner. She just hoped that the person on the other side was still there.

"S-Sorry to keep you waiting," the brunette said as she opened the door, somewhat embarrassed at seeing, much to her own dismay, that it was indeed Azusa who had been standing there. "P-Please come in."

"Ah right," Azusa said, wearing a simple looking sweater and a long skirt, she had opted to dress a little more casual for the evening, choosing pieces of clothing that were a bit more comfortable. To Miho it was a little different than how she usually perceived the girl in either the school uniform or tankery uniform, still, she had to admit that the younger girl looked rather pretty. Looking at herself she was still wearing her school uniform.

"Come in, come in." The thought that she had kept the younger girl waiting was an embarrassing one to Miho, but there was little that she could do about it at this point. Offering her apology for having kept her waiting Miho was quick to gesture for Azusa to take a seat and make her comfortable.

"… It's okay, senpai," Azusa said in return as she took off her shoes and continued going further into the apartment. "I only just got here so it's okay. Thank you for having me."

"If you'd please," Miho said in response, allowing the younger girl to walk past her, before going back to the kitchen as she still had her tea standing there, that and she also needed to get the snacks that she had bought for tonight.

"Uh, senpai?" Azusa asked as her eyes came to rest on the piece of paper on Miho's desk. 'What's this? I've never heard of any of these tanks before, are these meant for the team?" she asked as she held up the piece of paper while pointing at some of the more unusual names.

Coming back from the kitchen Miho was at first a little confused by the younger girl's question, but as she noticed the piece of paper that the girl was holding in her hand she understood the question. Approaching her she reached out for the paper and answered the girl's question, "Oh those you mean, well it's actually meant for the team but not in the way you're thinking. I was planning on mentioning this during training tomorrow but I guess I could tell you now." With that, she gestured for Azusa to have a seat so she could explain it to her.

Sitting down the younger girl asked another question, "So are these going to be new tanks for the team? If they're not, then why are you looking up for other kinds of tanks, senpai?" She was getting a little curious, becoming a little aware of the fact that she was hungry for more information, for wanting to know more. There were all sorts of things racing through her mind, her imagination working hard to come up with suitable answers as to why her captain wants to inform the team of something tomorrow.

"I got called into Prez's office today," Miho said as she sat down as well. "We've received an invitation from another school for a friendly match, but because we don't know anything about what tanks they might field I went to go visit Erwin-san and the others and borrowed a few books from them," Miho said. "I was doing a little reading before I went to pour some time and then you showed up. Listen, I'm sorry that I didn't notice you standing there any sooner. I uhm… got a little lost in my thoughts."

"I see, so that means these are tanks that we might expect to come up against in that match? How do you actually pronounce these, I've never even heard of them or seen in any of the magazines that Saki keeps bringing with her," the younger girl said as she tried in vain to pronounce the name of one of the tanks written on the note but she couldn't even make it past the first syllable.

"They're pretty complicated," Miho agreed with her as she had been struggling with her herself earlier. "Anyway can I get you something to drink? I've bought some at the local store and I also got us some snacks for the evening. If you need anything then please let me know."

"Ah… okay…" Azusa let out, feeling a little embarrassed about the sudden attention she was getting from her commander, still it wasn't all that bad. "… Then could I get some juice, if that's alright, senpai? Also, I had a late bite with the others so I'm fine for now."

"Oh okay, well that's fine with me, just let me get you that juice," the older girl said before she got up from her spot. "Oh before I forget, did you have any luck with your after action report? I know that it can be diffi-.'

"I finished it," Azusa said with pride as she pulled the report from her bag and held it up with both hands for Miho to see. "I've worked really hard on it since we last spoke as I wanted to get it finished in time so I could give it to you tonight, senpai."

The commander blinked, needing a moment before the younger girl's words sank in with her, as this was something that she had not expected and yet she also felt proud about Azusa's achievement in getting hers done. To think that she was actually the first one to get their report finished, Miho was definitely impressed by the girl's determination. "…Y-You did?"

Having stopped in her stride Miho turned back to face the girl and slowly approached her, she was surprised by it, but it was a pleasant surprise.

"I didn't think you'd finish it so soon," she said as she expressed her admiration for the younger girl's effort, this was definitely something worth being praised for. "I'm kind of surprised by you getting it done, Azusa-san. But I'm also really glad that you managed this on your own, so is it alright with you if we were to go through it together?"

"…Do we have to?" Azusa replied, visibly not feeling all that comfortable with the thought of going through the report together with her commander, although it was exactly what she had hoped for and it had been her greatest drive towards getting finished as she wanted to hear her commander's opinion on it.

But now that that moment was upon her she was getting scared, what if her report was terrible, what if she had written down the wrong things, were her spelling and grammar nice and tidy? What if she had messed up somewhere?

As such questions came to the front of her mind the younger girl was becoming more uncertain as her anxiety was getting the better of her. She was starting to fret over the smallest details, constantly questioning herself if she had done the right thing as she watched the older girl took the report from her hands and sat down opposite of her.

"Wow, this looks really nice," Miho beamed, visibly impressed by the attention to detail and the amount of work that had gone into the report as she read through the pages. "I was already impressed by you having it finished, but seeing all of the hard work you put into it I'm almost at a loss for words. You really gave it your all, didn't you, Azusa-san?"

Nodding silently Azusa didn't say a word, shifting uncomfortably in her spot, even when she was being praised by her commander it was still a daunting experience for her though it was not entirely unwelcome.

"Oh right," Miho mentioned out as she closed the report and got up from her spot. "I nearly forgot, I was supposed to get you your juice. Sorry about that, just give me a moment."

Letting out a quick sigh Azusa was feeling a little better now that she had some breathing room, she knew that she needed to calm herself down otherwise it was going to be one troublesome evening for the both of them. She had gone through this scenario several times in her mind but now that it was actually happening she didn't have a clue as to how she was supposed to react, it was so embarrassing to her, making her wonder if her commander would still want for her to stay here.

Another troubled sigh and already she could hear Miho's footsteps coming, maybe it would be better if she were to excuse herself from the other girl and simply go home instead. At least that way, she would not have to worry about wasting said girl's evening.

"Here you go," the older girl mentioned as she placed the glass of juice on the table before going back to her old spot and sat down. "So how was your day actually? Did you enjoy yourself?"

It was a question that took Azusa by surprise, just when she was about to steel herself the older girl threw her a curveball. Taking a deep breath she wondered if it would still be possible for her to excuse herself and leave.

"… It was fine I guess, we didn't have anything special today," she answered the question, making the decision for herself that she was going to stay and see this through to the end, even if she might get to regret it later on. "Kinda the normal class that we get every day, PE was also boring and we got a pretty difficult assignment for our art class."

"Oh, how come, is it something difficult that you have to draw?" Miho asked, expressing her interest in finding out what the younger meant when she had said difficult. That, and as she had only recently gotten a pretty hefty assignment from their art teacher miss Shiina as well so she could relate to what the other girl might be going through.

"Well, it's actually that we need to draw a portrait of a person who's special to us. I first thought about asking one of my parents but the ship's not going to dock until this weekend and I don't want to use a photo of them," Azusa voiced her complaints, leaning forward she reached out for the glass of juice and had a quick sip of it. "I don't even know who else I could ask and we have to hand it in before the end of the week. I'm so going to flunk it, there's nothing I can do…"

"And it has to be a person who's special to you, am I right?" Miho asked as she wanted to be certain that she understood the conditions for the piece. It was a shame that she didn't know the girl that well otherwise she might have been able to come up with some suggestions.

Closing the report and placing it next to her Miho could feel that for the time being the report that the younger girl had written could wait, right now there was something else that would need to help her with. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"That is what she told us, that we needed to draw a portrait of a person who's special to us or somebody who we admire," she said in return, her face betraying her obvious frustration over the assignment she had been given. "… Ehm… senpai, do you think…?"

"Huh?" Miho said, not having heard what the other girl had said she leaned in a little closer. "Could you repeat that, Azusa-san? I didn't really get it. What did you say?"

"… I… ehm…uh…" she mumbled, the younger girl looking away as she was trying to avoid making eye contact with the older girl. She mumbled, with a quivering voice, "… W-Was just… wondering… you know… kinda… if… s-senpai… would…"

Trying to puzzle it all together Miho wasn't entirely certain if she understood what the younger girl was having trouble with, she was definitely trying to ask her something but for some unexplainable reason, she was struggling with it. Could it be that it was something difficult to ask, or was it perhaps really embarrassing to ask in the first place?

"If there is a way for me to help you, Azusa-san, then please let me now. I don't mind helping you," Miho mentioned gently, offering some words of reassurance and encouragement. Waiting for a few moments in order to give the younger girl some time to think about it she then continued. "Don't be afraid of asking me for help, it's alright you know."

Spurred on by Miho's kindness and the sincerity of her words Azusa pulled herself together, gathered what courage she could muster, and asked the other girl the big question, the question that had been on her mind for a while now "…Well, then if it's alright with you senpai? Can I draw a portrait of you then?! I'd really like to draw a portrait of you, senpai!"

Miho blinked twice, confused and stunned for the moment, this was not what she had expected, and all she could do in response to the younger girl's request was to let out a surprised. "H-Huh?"

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – streets - 08.20h Wednesday_

"Whoa," Hana let out in awe when she was shown the report that Miho had gotten from Azusa the previous night. "Did she really make this, it looks so professional, I can't imagine how much work she must have poured into it. And she gave this to you yesterday?"

"Wow, this is so cool!" the fluffy-haired brunette chimed in, voicing her admiration for the feat accomplished by the first year student. "This is first-class! I can't believe that she made this! This is so cool! Nishizumi-dono, don't you think that this is amazing?!"

With Azusa's report still in her hand Miho was a little surprised at that reaction, sure she had been impressed by the report as well and had expressed that to Azusa but it became apparent that to her friends this report was something even more special.

"You really think so, Yukari-san?" she asked, seeking further clarification from her friends as while it was impressive to note that the young girl had been able to finish her report first, it still stood to be seen at just how good it would be compared to the other reports that she was expecting to get soon.

Miho had only been able to skim the report after Azusa had left her apartment, although she had fully intended to go through the report together with the younger girl that night some unforeseen circumstances had dictated otherwise. The evening had taken quite a different turn than what she had expected it to be, even now her mind was still, to some degree at least, trying to figure out what had happened.

But from the few pieces she had read she could tell that a good amount of care and attention had gone into it, the younger girl certainly had every right to be proud of what she had written. "Do all of you think it's really that amazing what she did? Isn't that a bit too soon to say?"

"Well, you've gotta admit that it's pretty impressive that she was able to get it finished first," Saori added her opinion on the matter, "It's good that she gave it her best. Don't you all think that it's best for her if she keeps this up? I mean she was the opposing team's commander so it only makes sense for her." In her mind, it was another sign that the girl had learned from her mistakes and was motivated to give it her all, a sign that the evening that she had come to see the team's commander and confess to her about her problems had done wonders for her. To her, it was a relief to see that the girl was doing better.

Having one look at it Mako, on the other hand, could do little to hide her opinion on the report in front of her. "Too much work," she led out in one of her usual lethargic sounding tones.

Shaking her head in disapproval the ginger-haired girl let out a disappointed sigh, already enough of a gesture to make the shorter girl shrink back in response, but other than that she refrained from making any further comment.

And with that the quintet continued, the entrance of their beloved school coming closer with every step until eventually, they passed the familiar sight of the hallways monitors busy with their common practices of making sure that students would be inside on time.

"Ah, I'm so excited for today's training," Yukari beamed all of a sudden as the group of five girls went through the main entrance of their school, expressing how keen she was to get back into their beloved tank and take it for a spin. "Ah, I wish that practice could start earlier!"

The impatience could clearly be read on her face, a fact that some of the other girls were only too keen to take advantage of.

"You do know that it's just training, don't you Yukarin?" Saori asked the brunette, shaking her head, "Honestly, there's nothing special about it today. We've done it dozens of times already, and besides, it's not like you don't know what Miporin is going to talk about."

That was true, Miho had already informed her friends about her talk with the student council yesterday during lunch, filling in her friends about the details with regards to the match against another school.

"Well that's true, but Nishizumi-dono is going to make it official, and besides the thought of going up against a school we haven't heard of before just excites me," Yukari said in return, smiling as her cheeks took on a few hues of pink, "Just imagine all of those new tanks we'd get to see, ah I just feel so fuzzy and warm inside just thinking about it."

It drew a chuckle from some of the others, they knew what the brunette was talking about, at least to some degree. It wasn't so much as the enemy tanks they were interested in but rather their crews, the students of the team, every time they had met another team they would find themselves befriending them.

"I wonder if they're like Anzio, I really enjoyed the party they threw for us after the match, oh it was just wonderful," Hana mentioned with a sense of delight surrounding her, "All of that wonderful and delicious food, oh I just couldn't get enough of it. On that note, do you think it'd be possible for us to arrange another match against Anzio soon, Miho-san?"

Nobody said a word as they heard that remark, except for Mako that was. "You just want to eat."

"Isuzu-dono sure does like to eat, doesn't she?" Yukari asked underneath her breath, they all knew that the dark-haired girl possessed a monstrous appetite, which made one question how she was able to maintain her stellar figure despite her eating habits.

Much to the chagrin of a certain ginger-haired girl they had not been able to come up with an answer to that question.

"I think it's better if we don't" Saori whispered in return, expressing her concerns for what might happen, "I don't think it'd be fair to do that to Anzio, they'd be blowing through their funds. It'd be cruel to that to them after they came to our rescue."

"I don't think it'll be that bad, Saori-san," Miho said, being aware of the point that her friend was making but she did not feel that it was anywhere near as bad as the ginger-haired girl was trying to make it sound like. "Provided that we don't do it every month, that might be just a bit too much for them."

"My oh my," the graceful girl remarked as he ears picked up on the conversation going on behind her back, "You wouldn't happen to be talking about little me, would you now?"

"They are," Mako shot at them, not even taking the time to look over her shoulder.

"Hey, Mako!" Saori shot back at her, her voice pitching up a few tones. "Why, did you have to say that?!"

"Oh, so you were?" Hana was all too quick to pick up on that, making the most of the opportunity when it presented herself with a chance to have a little jab at her friends.

And with that, the conversation began to become even livelier than it had been, lively enough that even a few members of the school morals committee threw them a few disapproving glances as they became aware of the ruckus this quintet was making.

Watching it all unfold Miho could do little other than smile as she was feeling that today was going to be another fun day filled with excitement. And as awkward as the little scene her friends were making was, she did have to admit that she took a sense of pleasure in seeing them all this animated, her friends were living their days to the fullest.

"You look a lot better when you're smiling, Nishizumi-dono," the brunette said to her, her head leaning close to her. Noticing the surprised reaction she got she continued. "I told you this yesterday, didn't I? You definitely look a lot better when you're happy, you don't need to fret over everything, just enjoy your time here. I'm really glad to see you smiling again." Reaching for her friend's hands the fluffy-haired brunette took them with her own hands, gently squeezing as she did. "Nishizumi-dono, you look best when you smile."

In response to something that sounded awfully close to some kind of confession Miho could not help but blush, her face picking up quite a few extra shades of pink. "… T-Thank you… Yukari-san."

It got silent all of a sudden and an eerie sense crept up on Miho as she felt an odd sensation as if she was attracting a lot of unwanted attention, daring to look to her right Miho got the confirmation to her suspicion. The other three girls were staring at her with captivated interest and looking past them, Miho could tell that most others students present were mimicking her friends' gesture.

"… M-M-Miporin… what's this…?" Saori gasped, pointing at the duo with a trembling finger.

Blinking with her eyes Miho let out a surprised. "Huh." She did not understand what the ginger-haired girl was talking about, all the while remaining unaware of the fact that she was still holding hands with Yukari and that said girl's face was, by now, beet red.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – class 2-C - 08.50h_

Finally in her own class again Yukari gave a silent offer of gratitude with all of the earlier commotion having died down by now, while it certainly had been a pleasant, almost bliss, moment for the fluffy-haired girl when she had been holding hands with her idol, the aftermath of that little gesture had been considerably less.

' _I guess we did go about it for a bit too long, still it was so great!'_ The mere thought was already enough to draw a smile from her face, she had no reason to complain about what had happened, on the contrary, she was pretty happy about it having happened.

Just thinking she could feel a sensation being stirred inside her chest, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. _'Nishizumi-dono sure had a weird look on her face, I guess I should go and ask if she's feeling a little better during our break. I still don't know why everybody was staring at us like that, did something special happen?'_

Scribbling down a few notes in her textbook she quickly reminded herself to keep paying attention to what was going on in class, less she would risk the danger of getting her teacher annoyed again.

Eventually, though her thoughts began to slowly drift back to her beloved tanks. _'Ah I can't wait until training this afternoon, I'm really curious what kind of tanks this other school has. Oh, I hope it's going to be something really exciting! What kind of tank would I really love to see?'_

The prospect of seeing never seen before tanks was an exciting one to her, it was but one of several aspects that made every match they had against a new school a thrilling experience for the fluffy-haired brunette. For her, the weekend could not come fast enough.

Looking up from her textbook Yukari took note of what her teacher was writing down on the board, but right now her mind was anything but focused on the math problems her teacher was addressing, she was just too excited about later on today.

Letting out a sigh she reminded herself. _'This won't do, I need to keep my attention focused on the class, I need to make sure that my grades are good enough that that can I go to the next year along with the others. But that also means that I'll also get to graduate with Nishizumi-dono and if that were to happen then our time at Oarai would come to an end.'_

Turning her head, looking to her left, outside of the window she could see the city and beyond that the wide open ocean. It was a tranquil sight which helped to calm the growing turmoil in her mind, it was inevitable that their time together at Oarai would come to an end.

' _There's nothing we can do about it, it sounds weird thinking about it, I really wish that it could last longer. I wonder what Nishizumi-dono and the others will do once we all graduate.'_ None of them had ever discussed their future plans but ever since she had discussed the topic of a new student council and the third years graduating soon it had been on the brunette's mind, it did make her a little curious about what the plans were of the others.

' _I guess we all have our own hopes and dreams to chase, are we all going our own separate ways or will our paths cross again, I'd really like for the latter to happen, getting to be together again with my friends again somewhere else sounds nice.'_

That gave her something to think about, that was until she felt a gentle tap on her right shoulder, fearing for a moment that she had dozed off long enough for her teacher to find out Yukari was reluctant to dare and look. Not until she got a second tap on her shoulder did it occur on her that this was not her teacher at all, with that knowledge she risked a cautious glance and was surprised when she found herself staring into the hazel eyes of one of her classmates.

"… Ehm, something's wrong?" the confused girl asked, pointing at herself as she was asking for confirmation that her classmate did mean her. "… Can I help you with something?" Looking closer Yukari needed a moment before she remembered the other girl's name, their homeroom teacher had mentioned them this morning when she had called the round to see if any student was absent or not.

"Yeah," the other girl whispered as she gestured for Yukari to keep her voice down, the girl's shoulder-length black hair seeming to dance along with the movement of her arms. "Can I borrow your eraser for a moment, I made a mistake in my notes and I can't seem to find mine."

"Oh, well yeah sure," Yukari said in return as she reached out for her own eraser before handing it to the other girl when said girl's name popped up. "Here you go, Minase-dono."

Accepting the eraser the girl was quick to offer Yukari her thanks in return. "Also, could you please stop being so formal, it's really weird, you know. Anyway thanks."

Turning back to face in front of her, Yukari let out a quick sigh, as if she had just dodged a bullet, or more appropriate, a really big shell. It wasn't like she disliked talking to her fellow classmates, it was just that she felt that she didn't have anything in common to talk to them about. It was not like it was with her friends who accepted her for who she was. That and the words that the other girl had just spoken still stung.

' _Then again I've never really taken the time to try and talk to them, it wasn't until I met Nishizumi-dono and the others that I began to dare to talk to people again. Maybe I should've… huh…'_

Pulled from her thoughts when all of a sudden, she felt the unmistakable notion of being gently tapped on her shoulder, again.

"Here you go, thanks for letting me borrow it, Akiyama," the girl, with her black hair in uneven twintails, said as she placed the eraser back on Yukari's desk, "Say Akiyama, me and a few of the others were wondering if you'd like to join us after school to grab a bite."

Blinking with her eyes the fluffy-haired girl was staring in disbelief as those words sank in with her, was this girl, a classmate of hers who went by the name Maika Minase, asking her to join in something after school? Where did this come from all of a sudden?

"I'm really sorry but I've got Sensha-Do today so it's going to be pretty late by the time I'm finished. And you see Nishizumi-dono, oh she's the team captain and she's really awesome! Is going to give us a debriefing on this new school we're facing! And we've got a lot of training to do to get ready for the match this weekend!" So nervous was she that Yukari simply blurted the words so fast that she had no idea what she had just said, rattling off an entire wash list of reasons as to why it might just be difficult for her to be able to accept the invitation.

"Oh, well okay then," Maika said, with a clearly disappointed expression on her face before turning away from the other girl but it seemed that, for now, the brunette was again in the clear although it left a distinct bitter aftertaste in said girl's mouth.

Risking a glance from the corner of her eye Yukari could not help feeling guilty at her attempt at getting underneath the invitation, a part of her was feeling terrible about it, but she was a little uncertain about seeing other people than her friends.

' _I wonder if I did the right thing? I do feel a little bad for her, maybe I shouldn't have done that. I think I'll ask Nishizumi-dono and the others, maybe they can offer me some advice. Takebe-dono is bound to have plenty of advice for me, she knows the most about this kind of things.'_ Confident in her friend's' ability to help her with this little dilemma Yukari pushed her troubling thoughts to the back of her mind for the time being and turned her attention to where it belonged, her teacher and her notebook. This was turning out to be quite the day.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – school building - 12.25h_

Situated at one of their usual spots a quintet of girls were busy with enjoying their lunch together while at the same time listening to a problem that one of them had thrown into the group and was now asking the other four for advice on what to do.

"Wait," Saori said, raising her hand in the process, "So you got asked out by one of your classmates, Yukarin? And then you did that? To be honest I don't think you should've done that though I can kinda understand that you must've been nervous back then."

Silently nodding her head Yukari kept herself from saying anything in return, feeling a little ashamed of her earlier actions but so far her friends were showing to be rather understanding of her decision.

"Well, technically you weren't wrong when you said that it's going to be late by the time we're done," Miho added. "But I don't think it's going to be as late as you think it'll be, and besides if they are in a club then they might just be finished when we are."

"That will depend if nothing goes wrong," Mako remarked in between chewing on her food, not even bothering to stop for a moment before she reached out for another sandwich.

Unsurprisingly Hana refrained from making any comments at the moment as she was busy in making sure that she got enough food to satiate her appetite for the time being.

"So ehm, Hana, are you feeling sick?" the ginger-haired girl asked when she noticed that her friend's portion was significantly less than usual, which did not take away that it was as big as everybody else's. "You shouldn't force yourself to eat you know."

Looking up in surprise the graceful girl simply smiled, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear as she said, "Oh but I'm not sick at all. What gave you the idea? I'm just on a little diet, that's all, so I'm keeping it at small portions. There's nothing to be worried about."

"… Diet… huh…" the other girl mumble underneath her breath, once more sizing up the portion that the black-haired girl had on her plate, it definitely contradicted her prior claim and yet, said girl's expression gave away that she was very serious about this. Letting it slide Saori sighed, what her friend called a small portion was easily more than twice the size of her own. Letting out another exasperated sigh she turned her attention back to the discussion on the brunette's problem.

"Say Yukarin, you mentioned earlier that you had never really talked to them, am I right? If so, then why do you think this girl and her friends invited you over? They must've have had a reason for that don't you think?"

"I uhm… hadn't really thought of that…" the fluffy-haired brunette admitted, back then she had not given it a thought as to why these girls had sought out to invite her over. That gave her something to think about, what the reason could have been for them to do so.

Miho began to smile. "Then I think it's obvious what you should do Yukari-san. The next time you see Minase-san you should go and ask her why she had invited you over, there's nothing wrong with asking her that, afterward, you can decide what you're going to do."

"Miporin's right," Saori added her approval to that suggestion. "Also, it might help if you apologize to her first for the way you tried to get away without having to give her an answer."

"I guess you're right," Yukari said as she admitted that it was a good idea, at the very least it would give her a reason to go and speak to the girl again. It could not hurt to give the girl and her friends the benefit of the doubt and to be honest, the fluffy-haired brunette was getting a little curious by now. It was becoming obvious that she was going to have her work cut out for her tomorrow in class.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, what do you all say we finish our lunch? I don't think there's much time left before we need to head back to class," Hana reminded them but if the clean plate in front of her was any indication then there was a real concern that all of their food might have already been consumed by a certain black hole.

Waving off the remark Saori said in return. "We don't need to hurry, the only class that we've got left is training anyway and we do get some extra time to get there as it's further from the school, so I don't really see a need to rush. I just want to finish my lunch first, we've got a long training session ahead of us so there."

"I'd rather sleep," Mako mention in her usual dry manner whenever she was more interested in catching a nap rather than keeping herself busy with whatever was going to happen next.

It drew some chuckles from the other girls, they all knew that the diminutive girl was pretty fond of her daily dose of sleep but at the same time she was also serious when it was needed.

Silently offering a prayer Yukari was glad that she would not have to face the girl from her class this day, which would allow her some time to think what she was going to say to her tomorrow, Maika did deserve to get an honest answer from her.

"Ah I want to take a shower so badly," Saori let out as she threw her head back before she began complaining about how her back was killing her, the whole day she had been feeling this unpleasant feeling in her back, perhaps she had twisted it, or perhaps it was just a sign of her being exhausted but the ginger-haired girl was confident that a good hot bath would help her

Stretching her arms above her head the girl continued. "Do you think we could go to the bath together, we've haven't done that in awhile you know?"

"I'd love that." Hana was the first one to remark on that suggestion, gladly accepting it as she too was feeling a growing desire to enjoy the comforts that a good hot bath could offer. "Since we've got nothing planned for the evening anyway, why don't we all go to the bathhouse together? And after that we can go and share dinner, what do you all say of that?"

"You just want an easy dinner," Mako said.

"Ah, sadly I can't, I need to go somewhere after training," Miho said as she reminded herself that she had an appointment later that day. "I'm really sorry but you see I made a promise yesterday. I think I should still be able to go to the bathhouse with the rest of you but I can't have dinner with you all. Azusa-san asked me for a favor yesterday when she was at my place."

The others were looking at her, eyes that were curious about getting further answers as they were somewhat intrigued by the sudden revelation and the mention of a certain first year's name piqued their collective interest.

"… Miporin, does this mean that the two of you… in a… you know…kinda…?"

Hana gave her a smile, not saying a word in return and yet her face seemed to be glowing.

"…"

"… N-Nishizumi-dono…" the fluffy-haired brunette whimpered.

Waving her hands frantically Miho had to explain it to them as they were drawing the wrong kind of conclusions of it. "No. No. No! It's not like that! She asked me to let her draw a portrait of me for class. That's it, nothing more and-. Wait, what's with those looks?"

There was a collective sigh, some sounding more disappointed than others.

* * *

 _Oarai school carrier – Tank sheds - 13.00h_

"Alright, you maggots! Listen up!" Momo's voice could be heard echoing throughout the massive hall. Catching the attention of every student present in the building, whether they wanted to or not. "We've got an important announcement for you all! So you'd all better listen to this! Am I clear?!"

A few moments of silence greeted the PR rep's statement, it wasn't like what she had said so far was anything groundbreaking but those present had learned to listen closely whenever the student council or their team captain was going to make an announcement.

"Good!" she continued, scraping her throat Momo continued with the announcement, holding up the letter that they had been sent earlier this week. "We've received this request from a school for a training match, the school's name is Tarczay High."

Muttered talk greeted her, those present suddenly started talking about who this school was as none of the students present had actually heard of this school before, so naturally it went without saying that there was a sense of excitement in the air. People wanted to know more, they wanted to hear where this school was, what their team was like, what they could expect.

"All of you quiet!" Momo shouted at the top of her lungs before she slammed her hand against the board behind her. Frustrated and annoyed by the sudden disturbance she shot a venomous glare at those present. "Don't you have any shame?! I was just getting to that part! Now, be quiet so I can explain it!" She emphasized her point by stomping the floor.

But before she got the chance to continue she was interrupted by Anzu, who until this point had been content to nibble on some of her favorite snacks, "Kawashima, that's enough. Let Nishizumi-chan do it. Hey, Nishizumi-chan, c'mon~." And gestured for a certain, if somewhat surprised, commander to step forward and take the helm.

"Eh, me?" Miho asked, somewhat surprised by this sudden change as it had been decided that the announcement would be handled by the student council, though it seemed that as fickle as she was, Anzu had made a last minute change to that plan. To be honest, she could have seen this one coming, in hindsight, she really should have.

"Prez?!" A distressed Momo shot back at the Prez. Equally, if not even more so, surprised than Miho. With her left eye twitching in response as she tried in vain to make sense of this she could only let out an exasperated, "W-Why… Prez… why…?"

"You're taking too long, besides it's boring. Alright, Nishizumi-chan~! Let's go~!" Was the response from the diminutive girl, and about the closest thing to an explanation, if it could be called that, for the sudden change. But she accepted her, though it was with reluctance.

Breaking from her group Miho made her way over and stepped onto the raised platform, taking her place where just moments before Momo had been standing. Taking a deep breath in order to clear her mind before she would speak Miho could sense the growing anxiety amongst her fellow tankers.

"Everybody, thank you for being here," she said as she offered her thanks to those present, immediately setting the tone and changing the atmosphere. It was important to get everybody to calm down again so that she could pick up from where Momo had left.

Noticing that it was quiet enough for her to continue Miho began, "As has already been said we've received a request for a training match by a school that most of us haven't heard of. Even during my time at Kuromorimine I've never heard of them. Luckily, thanks to the effort of the student council we've been able to gather some information."

With a nod of her head, she gave the signal to show the presentation that had been created by Momo, offering a few words of thanks to said girl for the effort she had put into making it. Of course the four Reki-jo, and Erwin in particular, also needed to be given their share of the credit as well as they had kindly enough offered Miho additional information with regards to the tanks that they might come up against.

Waiting for a moment to allow things to quiet down a little Miho informed the students of the school they were going to face. "The school that we're facing is Tarczay High, it's a Hungarian-style school that was founded in order to introduce Hungarian culture and cuisine to Japan. Although we don't know the exact composition and numbers of their Sensha-Do team, we do know that it is centered mostly around Hungarian tanks."

* * *

 **Author's note** : There we are folks, the newest chapter in the story and sorry that it took a bit longer before being able to post this one. I know that some of you have been waiting for it, it's been a busy period for me and it shows in the limited amount of writing time I have. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

I had hoped to have been able to get one more chapter posted this year but given how it's almost December I think I can safely say that it's not going to happen, and given that in my line of work December is one of the busiest if not the busiest months of the year I doubt I can get much done on the next chapter.

Some more fun bits, made a full day trip towards the city of Bastogne, about 2 hours driving from my place, to tour the city and its immediate surrounding countryside. There's quite a bit to see there but even with having a full day at my disposal I wasn't able to see everything that I had hoped to.

I did visit the Bastogne Barracks which was rather pleasant in that you get a guide to show around the compound, taking up a good 2 hours of your time. This was the place when Gen. McAuliffe gave his famous 'Nuts' reply to the Germans following for their demand of surrender.

Plus they had a really nice garage filled to the brim with tanks, and no, they did not let me keep one. Was nice coming face to face with tanks such as the IS-3 and ISU-152 which are rather rare tanks to see here in Western Europe, it's quite a sight to stare down a 152mm barrel though in all honesty it really didn't do all that much for me as I've been to the Panzermuseum at Munster (highly recommended) were I was awed at the sight of the Sturmtiger's 380mm shell, that is one a totally different level of big shells. That doesn't take away that these two are some very imposing examples of Russian armor that one could face in 1945. I had a quite lengthy, not to mention enjoyable, debate with our guide afterward and he extended me an invitation to come and visit them during the Nuts event later in December, I'm likely going to take him up on that offer.

Also ordered my tickets for Tankfest 2018, got a full weekend booked, and I can't wait to go there and see all of the tanks again. I last visited the Tank Museum in 2014 so it's been a few years already and I'll be going specifically to see the Elefant in the flesh… err metal as this is one of my personal favorites. Really glad that I can finally see it for real, without having to travel to the US, that is.

So, what do you people think now that Das Finale is getting really close to us, of course, must be said that it'll likely be a bit longer for those of us without a means to visit Japan but hey it'll get here? I'm really looking forward to seeing the match against BC Freedom and I can't wait to find out what else Das Finale has in store for us.

Looking forward to your thoughts, opinions, and or ideas, and until next time. Take care.


	7. On Our Way to the Battlefield!

**On Our Way to the Battlefield!**

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways – 1_ _8_ _.00h Tuesday_

"Ah, I'm tired," Saori let out, her voice betraying her exhaustion, before stretching her arms after she had pulled herself out of the tank. With the vehicle now parked at its usual spot in the garage, the day's training had finally come to an end and the ginger-haired girl was keen to let her friends know that she was anxious to enjoy the remainder of the day. "So what do you all say if we got our stuff and head to the bathhouse?"

"What, now?" Yukari asked as she was surprised by the sudden proposal about leaving this very moment, they had barely left their tank and already it seemed that her friend was keen to get herself treated to a good bath. "Takebe-dono, don't you think that's a little soon?"

Looking down from on top of the turret Miho could do little but agree with Saori as she too wanted to get there as quickly as possible, after that she would head over to Azusa's place like she had promised. "I think it's alright to go, the sooner we leave the longer we can stay."

"Ah that's right, you're going to see Azusa-chan aren't you, Miporin?"

"Well, in that case, why don't we go then?" Hana suggested, and seeing as there was nothing left for any of them to here they might as well make the most of the opportunity and get to leave. Besides, it was already pretty late so it would be best for them to go.

"Ah shoot!" Yukari cried out as she wanted to retrieve her bag. "I think I left my books back at the classroom, I must've forgotten about it after our break… sorry…"

The other four girls were just smiling, taking a little enjoyment from seeing their friend a little distressed but they meant no harm with it.

"Just go and get it from the classroom then, we'll be waiting for you at the entrance of the bathhouse, alright?" Miho said as she let the brunette know that it would be alright for her to leave, they would wait for her. "We'll be waiting for you there, till then, Yukari-san."

Expressing her gratitude by making a deep bow, one that drew several comments from her friends, Yukari said her goodbyes. Turning around followed by her making her way towards one of the large gates she came to a halt and turned around one last time to wave at her friends.

"So I guess that means we'll be going as well?" Hana asked the obvious question as she made her way over to where she had left her bag.

"Yep, we still have to get to our home and get the stuff that we're going to need, but are you sure that it's alright for us to go now?" Saori added to the question, kinda answering it and kinda not answering it at the same time. "I mean I do have a lot that I need to bring with me."

"You bring too much," Mako said dryly, "It's too heavy and you're going to slow us down."

"Hey! Why did you have to say that! Plenty of that is also meant for you!"

"Miho-san, do you want to leave or wait for a bit?" Hana turned her question to the only other girl of their group, reasoning that she was not going to get much of an answer from the other two who were bickering.

"Ah sure, I'll need to collect my stuff as well for when I go and visit Azusa-san," the other girl said in return. "Also, do you think we should do something about those you?" Her finger pointing at the pair who seemed to still be stuck in their little argument.

Hana nodded her head, signaling that they definitely needed to do something about it so that they could get on their way. "I think we should, I feel it would be pretty rude of us if we were the ones to keep Yukari-san waiting. Just let me handle this."

Not saying a word Miho's attention was pulled somewhere else when she noticed Anzu waving for her from the corner of her eye, apparently, there was something that the smaller girl needed to show her. "Excuse me, Hana-san, I'll be right back."

Not knowing why Anzu was signaling for her to come over, Miho nevertheless made her way towards the girl in question.

"H-Hana, c-could you give me a hand, Mako just fell asleep," Saori cried out as all of a sudden she found herself struggling to keep up the weight of the smaller girl. "S-She's heavier than you think… I-I need… some… h-help… p-please…"

The long-haired girl remained where she stood, a devious smile etched on her face, seeming to take a certain delight in the other girl's struggle. With her hand covering her mouth, she was feeling the irresistible urge to tease her friend. "My, my, my, should I? I don't really know if I should. I think you should be fine on your own."

"Oh c'mon!" Was the reply that the ginger-haired girl shot back in return as a way to express her frustration, and if her friend was thinking that this was the moment to be funny than she was going to be gravely mistaken. "Hana!"

Still with a somewhat devious smile caressing her face the graceful girl made her way over towards the girl in distress in order to lend a helping hand, they were still friends after all, and as much as she enjoyed teasing the ginger-haired girl she could not deny that a part of her was feeling a little sorry for said girl. Well, only a little.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways – 1_ _8_ _._ _15_ _h Tuesday_

Going back into her classroom Yukari was relieved to see that the bag containing her precious books was still where she had left it, letting out a deep sigh she rushed over to her desk in order to retrieve it. "Ah thank goodness, it's still here."

Feeling better now that she had recovered her prized books, Yukari turned on the spot and was about to leave the classroom when she came to a sudden halt.

"Oh, Akiyama?" Maika said as she appeared in the door opening and found herself as equally surprised as the fluffy haired brunette standing in front of her. "Didn't you have Sensha-Do?"

Yukari was taken aback, she hadn't really expected to see Maika again so soon already, she had really wanted to take advantage of the evening and think about what her answer was going to be.

"… W-Well...we just finished with training, I just came back to get my book…" Yukari said in return, feeling a sense of guilty shame wash over her at being confronted by the black-haired girl. "… So did your club run late?"

Said girl gave a curt nod in return, "It did but I'm glad it did because that means I get the chance to see you already. So Akiyama, have you thought about what we talked about before?"

"… Well, I ehm…" she stammered as she had no immediate answer for the other girl, as much as she hated to admit it, she would need to give her an honest answer now. There was simply no way that she could get away this time with another excuse. "To be honest, I have thought about it… but I'm not really sure… I'm sorry… I can't."

"Ah, is that so? Well, that's a little disappointing though I shouldn't be surprised at it," Maika said in return, her voice betraying her disappointment. "A shame really as I wanted to ask you for your opinion but I guess it can't be helped."

Yukari blinked. "Huh? M-My opinion?" This was something that she hadn't expected, why did the other girl want her opinion and about what did she want her opinion about? "What do you want my opinion on then, if you don't mind me asking?"

"…Nothing," Maika remarked bitterly as she headed towards her table and grabbed her bag. "Never mind it, just forget about it, okay? Have a good night, Akiyama. I'll see you tomorrow. Take care."

Dumbfounded, and watching as the other girl quickly left the classroom until she disappeared from her sight, Yukari was left speechless by what had just happened. Her mind still trying to fathom as to what had just transpired the brunette went to the door opening and looked if she could still see the girl in question, something about what had just happened didn't sit well with her.

"… That was weird, I don't understand…" she said underneath her breath, noting that, much to her own disappointment, Maika had already disappeared. Grabbing her bag she wasted no time and set off in pursuit of the other girl, with her curiosity piqued she wanted to know what that was all about. "I need to hurry before she gets to leave the school grounds."

Quickening her pace as she began to run through the hallways of the mostly empty building Yukari did her best to take the shortest possible route towards the main entrance of the school, which would offer her the best chance of getting to see Maika before she would leave.

' _I need to hurry, ah I wish I did better during PE class.'_ She lamented her lack of speed, guess that being stuck in a tank loading heavy shells wasn't all that good of an exercise for her legs, even though it had done wonders for the muscles in her upper body.

With the loud clacking of her heels echoing throughout the empty hallways Yukari took a sharp turn as she went down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her, stumbling she was barely able to keep herself from crashing headfirst into the nearest wall. "Pfft, that was close."

Regaining her footing she pressed on, pushing herself to go even faster.

' _I can't let Minase-dono leave without at least knowing what_ _it_ _was that she wanted to talk about. I don't believe that it was nothing, it doesn't sit well with me if I let this happen.'_

Jumping, in the air, she landed on her feet, making a roll forward before recovering and getting back up on her feet Yukari took some satisfaction knowing that she was now on the ground floor, from here on it was only going to be a short piece before she would reach the entrance.

"… A-Akiyama…san…? A voice gasped in surprise.

At first, it hadn't registered with her, it wasn't until she heard it again that it dawned on Yukari that she had arrived, coming to an abrupt halt she pressed her hands against her knees, heaving heavily as her body was keen on catching its breath. Looking to her left, somewhere where the voice had originated from she was pleasantly surprised to see that she had made it in the nick of time. "… I… made it… just in time…"

"W-What are you doing here? Look at you, you're all sweaty and out of breath. Have you been running?! What has gotten into you? Hey, can I at least get an answer from you?!" Still appearing to be somewhat surprised at the brunette's sudden appearance Maika was giving the impression that her mind was still trying to process what was happening.

Coughing Yukari signaled to the other girl that she needed a moment to regain her breath, all that running had apparently done a number on her. Once her breathing was starting to slow down, as well as her heartbeat lowering she allowed herself to smile.

"Are you alright? Don't tell me you hit your head in that mad dash of yours, have you?" Maika asked, her voice betraying her irritation at not having gotten an answer yet. "Listen, Akiyama, I need to get back to my apartment, I've got plenty of homework to do and I need to go grocery shopping. I'm pretty busy and I have little time, so can you please give me an answer, what are you doing here?!"

"To apologize to you Minase-dono, because I wasn't able to give you an answer, and it seems that because I wasn't able to that I upset you," Yukari said, her tone as sincere as it could be, she was aware that her answer had probably been the worst one to pick. "I think what I said is wrong, I really should've been more honest with you. I don't know if I can but I'd still like to hear what you what it was that you wanted my opinion on."

"D-Didn't I tell you to drop it?" Maika asked her, sounding a little irritated about hearing the reason as to why the fluffy-haired brunette had chased after her, her black hair swinging back and forth as she shook her head. After letting out a sigh which gave away her frustration she went ahead and asked, "…Honestly, why didn't you wait for tomorrow then?"

"… Ah well… I kinda do want to know," Yukari said in return, fiddling with her fingers as she felt the uncomfortable look of Maika bearing down on her. "… And besides, I got the impression that it meant a lot to you as well…"

Her explanation was followed by another sigh, the words pulling a reaction from the other girl who seemed to be getting increasingly impatient for some reason.

Picking the end of one of her pigtails, Maika began to fiddle with her hair. "… Alright…"

"Huh." A surprised and confused Yukari found herself staring back at the other girl after hearing that, that had been a little unexpected. "Could you repeat that, Minaese-dono?"

"Alright! I said alright! Did you hear that?! Oh man, you're just terrible, Akiyama."

A perplexed Yukari was looking, not really sure what to make of what the other girl had just said, and also if she was supposed to be insulted or not. "You think so?"

"Arrghh…" A frustrated howl escaped from between Maika's lips, "This is why I really didn't want to ask you. Do you even know how frustrating you can be? Just give me a second."

Pinching the bridge of her nose Maika gestured for Yukari to be quiet, for now, allowing her to regain her composure. "Alright, rather than telling you about it, why don't you come and see for yourself. It'll be easier that way."

"Great!"

"Ugh! Just come and see me after class ends tomorrow, I'll show you then."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Guh!"

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways – 1_ _9_ _._ _0_ _0h Tuesday_

"Are you sure Prez, shouldn't you have told Nishizumi-san about what's happening?" Yuzu asked as she expressed her concerns with Anzu's decision of not having informed Miho about the upcoming matter. "Isn't this going to cause her problems later on? I feel that you should've told her more."

"Nah," Anzu replied in between chewing on her snack, "Nishizumi-chan is gonna be fine, and besides we don't really know all that much either. We'd just be troubling her."

"Until we have the additional information it would be best if we kept it to ourselves," voicing her opinion the black-haired girl chimed in as well, to Momo it only made sense to keep quiet about the matter for now and not cause an unnecessary commotion.

That did not sit well with Yuzu, who remained convinced that it would be best to inform the others at the earliest opportunity otherwise they might risk unforeseen consequences. They were going to have to announce it soon as they were slowly running out of time, an announcement that was so crucial couldn't be postponed for much longer.

"Perhaps it would be best if we waited with the announcement until after the school festival," Momo made a suggestion, explaining that right now all of their attention and effort should be directed at the upcoming school festival, and as it would be their last it would be in their best interest for them to make sure that it would also be their finest.

"Well…" Yuzu mumbled, feeling that her opinion was being been sidelined. "… I guess you're right, everybody is so focused on the festival right now and there's still so much left to do it'd be a shame if it all went to naught in the commotion and chaos. But do you think people will accept it?"

"It'll be alright, they're all looking forward to it," Anzu said, still at the head of the group as they turned right at the junction, steadily making their way back towards the office. "Let them all enjoy it, we can worry about announcing this matter afterward, I'd hate for them not to be able to enjoy our last festival because of it."

"Even then, we still need to make sure that all of the preparations are in order," Momo interjected, her finger tapping on the reports that she had been holding, "There's a lot that we need to go over before everything is in order. This might just be our greatest challenge."

"Momo-chan, I think you're making this sound bigger than it really is."

"Don't call me that!"

Not saying a word Anzu was just silently enjoying the little argument that was going back and forth just behind her back, this was definitely something that she was going to miss, after so many years it simply had become something that she had gotten used to.

"Anyway, our priority should go to making sure that the festival is going to be a hit," Anzu finally let out, breaking her previous silence as she stated what her plans were. "This will be our last festival at this school so I wanna make it a big one, also I want everybody to go and enjoy themselves. We're going to get a lot of people to visit our school; I want them to have the best impression of what our school is all about."

"Still," the monocle-eyed girl said, "A lot of people are going to come because of Nishizumi, because of what she was able to achieve. We need to fully capitalize on that."

Yuzu nodded her head in agreement, her ponytail swinging back and forte. Much like her colleague she was only too aware of what was going to be the main reason for many people to come and visit their school during the course of the festival, their tankery team, and its legendary commander, the fabled Miho Nishizumi.

"Exactly~," Anzu said in an exciting tone, made apparent by the slight smirkon her face, which was really just a display of her enjoyment of the moment. "People are gonna come because of Nishizumi-chan. And when they'll do we're gonna show them what our school really is all about. When you think about it, Nishizumi-chan is really just the bait~."

Momo and Yuzu could do little but exchange some concerned looks with each other, what the diminutive girl had just said just sounded wrong in so many ways. And it was made all the worse by the wide grin etched on her face.

It was enough to make the other two girls have some sense of pity for the school's tankery team commander, oh how the poor girl was unaware of the troubles that were awaiting her.

"I just hope that this isn't going to turn into a PR nightmare," Momo remarked, expressing some of her worries as the last thing that she wanted to see happen was for things to go sour. "Prez, please keep in mind that we shouldn't put Nishizumi through too much trouble. She already has a lot that she has to put up with it, and I fear that it's only going to get worse before the festival begins. We really are forcing her to bear a lot on her shoulders."

"True," Anzu admitted, there was no surprise that a lot of the success about this upcoming festival was going to hinge on the success of the fabled Miho Nishizumi. After all, that was exactly why the diminutive girl had gone through so much effort to capitalize on that. "Even Nishizumi-chan's name alone gets things done. Kinda makes you wonder what she could accomplish if she were to really give it her all this festival."

Yuzu's eye twitched at the mere thought of that. "I'd really don't dare to imagine that, plus I think that'd be really unfair to Nishizumi-san. She does deserve to enjoy this festival as much as every other student in our school."

"Well, we can't make any promises here~."

"That's a terrible thing to say."

"Nope~."

As if her twitching eye wasn't already worse enough Yuzu was wondering if it was even going to be possible at this point to try and come up with a way to make it up to the poor girl. As if she wasn't having already enough pity on the girl. Letting out a desperate sigh she was asking herself if there was ever going to be able to forgive herself for all of this.

Anzu was just smirking with delight. "Don't sweat it~. It's all going to work out fine, and as for our precious Nishizumi-chan, she's going to have a blast at the festival for sure!"

Neither of the other two girls was convinced by that statement as they both had already heard far too much but at this point, there was little that either of them could do to stop the machinations of the diminutive girl in front of them. One way or another, the festival was going to happen according to Anzu's vision.

What that exactly was going to mean for the youngest daughter of the Nishizumi household was anybody's guess.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways – 1_ _9_ _._ _05_ _h Tuesday_

"Everybody, I'm so sorry I'm late!" Yukari shouted as in the distance she could make out the distinct group that were her closest of friends. Seeing as they were still waiting for her she was overcome with a sense of joy and yet there was also a sliver of shame at having held them up for so long.

"Ah Yukari-san, we're glad to see you,' Miho said as she was the first one to greet the brunette, welcoming her back to the group. "To be honest, we were getting a little worried as you were taking so long. Are you alright?"

"Ah ehm, yeah I am. Thanks for asking, Nishizumi-dono," the other girl was quick to say in return, her cheeks taking on a hue of pink at the thought of her idol's concern for her. "Ehm, shall we go inside then, if that's alright with you?"

"Of course," chirped the ginger-haired girl, "We could've gone in sooner but we just wanted to wait for you, it's more fun this way, don't you think?"

"Finally," was the only remark that could escape from Mako's lips before forcing herself to get back up on her feet and making a somewhat drunken approach towards the entrance of the bathhouse, leaning from left to right as she seemed to be struggling with keeping her balance.

"Ah, Mako! Look out! You're gonna hurt yourself!" Saori yelled as she rushed over to help her friend, and taking the opportunity to lecture her.

"Looks like Reizei-dono is in trouble, again…" Yukari whispered to the others besides her, keeping her voice down for fear of risking the wrath of Saori. "Guess we're going to follow them then?"

"Of course we are," Hana answered the question, her long graceful hair trailing behind her, "After all, that's why we're here, isn't it? I think it would be pretty rude of us if we were to go home."

Following the taller girl, who by now had taken the lead, Yukari and Miho followed her example, walking past the struggling couple that was Saori and Mako, who were having some apparent issues in getting to the entrance, in a straight line.

Once all of them were inside the trio was heading towards the changing room so they could get out of their clothes, it had been a long and exhausting day and the prospect of a hot bath was more than enough motivation for them to make haste.

"H-hey! W-Wait up! D-Don't leave me here! Hey! Hey! Heeeeeyyyyyyy!

With a somewhat guilty expression on her face as the source of the cry for help was growing ever more distant Yukari dared to risk a glance across her shoulder. "Ehm, shouldn't we go back and help Takebe-dono?"

"She'll be fine." Was the only reply that the long-haired girl made, still acting as if nothing was going one just outside. The voices outside becoming ever fainter with every step they took. "Don't worry, we'll go back and help them in a little while."

"Ah, am I glad that Mako woke up again," Saori let out in an exasperated voice, reaching for the top of one of her typical long black socks before she gently slid her hands down her leg, after she had taken it off and flexed her toes she repeated the process a second time. "Now I just hope that I can relax a little. I'm just tired, you know…"

Throwing a nasty glance at the others girls who were present in the dressing room she said, "No thanks to all of you though. What took you so long? Do you have any idea how long I stood there? You sure took your time before coming back to help me!" A disappointing look flitting across her face.

Oh, my," Hana, who has in the process of tying her hair, let out, "Are you still going on about that?"

"Hey! Don't try and pretend that it didn't happen!"

"But I didn't."

"Why you!"

Watching the two girls bicker Yukari leaned a little closer to Miho next to her and whispered to her, "You'd think that by now that Takebe-dono would've let it slide."

Miho could do little but let out a nervous laugh, in reality, she wasn't really sure on how to react to this, this kind of teasing and bickering that would always go back and forth between either Saori and Mako, or in this case Saori and Hana, was something that had become rather common in her almost everyday life. And besides, to her, the amicable bickering was in its own unique way almost relaxing.

Eventually things began to settle down, neither of the two girls in question opting to continue any longer with the argument, instead opting to make the most of the available time as they had set their sights on their goal, the reason they had come together to the bathhouse.

"Oh, this feels great, I finally feel alive again…" Saori said underneath her breath before letting out an exasperated sigh as she submerged herself up to her shoulder in the hot water of the bath. "… Ah, this is just what I really needed… being in a tank is nice and all… but at times it can also be so exhausting… you know what I mean?"

Hana chuckled, seeing an opportunity, "Is that why you're suddenly sounding like an old woman? Oh, wait, somehow I get the idea that we've been here before. I wonder why?"

Shooting up from her spot the ginger-haired girl was pointing an accusing finger at the dark-haired girl. "You meanie!" Pouting as she continued with pointing a threatening finger at the other girl. "Meanie! Meanie! Meanie! Meanie!"

"Oh, my," Hana said in response, chuckling as she did as she was visibly enjoying the lively reaction she was getting out of the ginger-haired girl. "It seems like I upset you a little, didn't I?"

"H-Hana!"

Mako, who was quite comfortably resting in one of the smaller baths, opened one of her eyes in response. "They're back at it again," she said in a flat delivery, which earned her a glare from the two offenders in question. "So tiring…" And with that, she turned around.

"Oh my, is that so?"

"H-Hey! Don't turn your back on me! I'm here!"

"My, my, my, my…"

Leaning back Miho didn't say a word; there was no need for her to do so. She was just sitting there watching the playful banter kicking it up a notch, craning her neck up in order to have a look at the ceiling she found her offering a silent prayer of gratitude for having met such wonderful friends.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways –_ _19_ _._ _55_ _h Tuesday_

Waiting at the main doors that formed the entrance to the building Miho was a little surprised by seeing the size of the dorms, she knew that these were present on the school, as they were on most schoolships to help provide sufficient accommodation to a large number of students. But that did not take away that they were still fairly imposing buildings.

"So this is where Azusa-san and the others live," she said underneath her breath as she stepped inside, marveling at the interior of the building which gave off a warm impression.

"Welcome, how may I help you?" a woman said as she appeared from around the corner in order to greet Miho. "Are you here to see anybody?"

"Ah, ehm, yes. I'm Nishizumi Miho, pleased to meet you," Miho said as she introduced herself to the woman, making a bow as she did, "I'm here to see Sawa Azusa, she's a member of our school's Sensha-Do team."

"Pleased to meet you too," the woman said in return before introducing herself. "My name is Sagara Misae, I'm the resident manager of this dorm. So you must be the Nishizumi Miho over who I've heard so much, you've got quite a lot of fans amongst the residents here."

Chuckling a little it was obvious that the older woman was having a bit of fun with her guest but as she stood there smiling, Miho, on the other hand, could do little but let out a short nervous laugh. It was yet another thing that she had not expected.

"… Do I…?" she asked as if wanting to have confirmation of that statement. Then again would this be any different than what she had seen when Mikan had come to see her, the younger girl had certainly appeared to be somewhat of a fan of her, and she had heard from other people that they were looking up to her. In hindsight, it should not have come as a surprise.

"Sure do," Misae said in return. "There's quite a few of them in this dorm, and I've heard from them that even in the other dorms you've got quite the fan base. You're pretty popular it seems, well given that you're the one who saved the school from closing that shouldn't come as a surprise. Oh and don't worry, I won't bother you for an autograph."

It made Miho blush, her cheeks taking on a few hues of pink, after hearing that, to be honest, it was a little embarrassing. One would think that by now she had gotten used to it, guess she still was struggling with the praise she would get from people.

"But I digress; you came to see somebody, am I right? It was Sawa-chan isn't it? She lives on the second floor, room eleven. Feel free to go ahead. The stairs are just to your right."

"Ah thank you," Miho said as she quickly made a bow to offer her thanks to the woman, "That's really kind of you. Then if you'll excuse me, have a good night." With having said her goodbyes Miho turned to her right, as the woman had instructed, and made her way to the staircase that would take her up to the second floor.

Going up the stairs she took in the sight of the building's interior, it was nothing special but it appeared that its residents had gone to some effort in making it feel a bit homier. She could understand why the people who resided here wanted to make the place look a little more comfortable than it would do without the additions that adorned it.

"Let me see, it was room eleven where I need to be," Miho reminded herself as she reached the second floor before turning left, taking note of the room numbers as she passed them until she found the right one. "I guess this must be it, this should be her room."

Reading the nameplate Miho was feeling better knowing that she had gone to the right room, it would have been a little embarrassing if she had accidentally picked the wrong one.

"I hope that she's home, I did come a little earlier than I said I would," Miho told herself as she had a quick glance at her watch, apparently the walk here had been shorter than she had thought. "Oh well, since I'm here anyway I might as well see if he's home."

Pressing the buzzer she began to wait until there would be a response, it did not take long before she could hear footsteps approaching from the other side, it seemed that the younger girl must have been expecting her already.

"Ah senpai, please come in, you're a little earlier than I expected but please," Azusa mentioned as she opened the door and saw, much to her own surprise, that the girl she had been waiting for stood already on her doorstep. "I was just busy in making some snacks for us, they're not yet ready but if you want you can have a seat while I get you something to drink, senpai."

Gratefully accepting the younger girl's offer Miho went further inside the room, taking in the sight of the interior which, much to her own surprise, was somewhat different than she had imagined it to be. "You really have a nice place, Azusa-san."

"Oh ah, well ehm, thank you, senpai…" Azusa mumbled, the words seeming to stumble across her lips, the words of appreciation from the older girl had taken her by surprise. "… It's nothing special… I just wanted to make it look a little, you know… comfortable."

"So do you watch a lot of TV?" Miho asked when her curiosity was piqued by the, somewhat; reasonably sized TV that stood there. "We never had those on our rooms when I was still at Kuromorimine."

"Ah yes," Azusa said, turning her head to look in the direction as indicated by the other girl, "We come and watch here often, we've been friends since we first enrolled at this school so often it's been pretty normal for us to come together and watch movies with the six of us." After that, she began to explain a little of the movie nights that she and the other members of Rabbit-team held on a regular basis."

"That sounds really nice, I envy you a little for that," Miho said in a gentle tone, a warm smile caressing the features of her face, "Even though I've got a TV at my place I've never really thought about watching a movie together with the others, we're always busy with something else. Maybe we should give it a try."

"Ehm senpai, there's also a cinema nearby you could go to instead. I've found that it starts to get a little cramped when the six of us are here." Leaning forward just a little the younger girl offered a warning based on her own experiences, at times it was getting really tight in here with her friends gathered and snacks all over the place. "I think your place is about the size of mine, so there's that."

"Oh, is that so," Miho said in return as she nodded her head, accepting the words of advice she had just been given. "Thank you for the advice, I'll keep it in mind."

Well, going to a cinema with her friends would likely be just as much fun as watching it at her place though if space was an issue then they could always go to Mako's home which was far roomier than Miho's own apartment. That was something for her to think about on her way home.

Just as an uneasy silence was about to settle in Azusa got up from her spot and made her way back to the kitchen, not long after which she made her return holding a tray upon which Miho could see a pair of glasses and some snacks.

"Thank you, Azusa-san." Offering her thanks Miho sat there and watched, as the other girl resumed her place after she had placed the drinks and the snacks on the table. "They look tasty. I've haven't seen them at the store I usually do my shopping?"

"Ah, t-thank you," the younger girl said in return, her cheeks taking on a hue of pink in response, "There's a small store nearby that I usually go to, it's not a big store but they have some really good snacks that you won't find anywhere else on the ship, and I really like the ice cream they have there. We often go there after we're finished with school."

That did explain that even though it was, for the most part, irrelevant, even so, Miho still found it rather enjoyable to talk with the other girl about such small things.

"So ehm, what is it that you want me to do? Do I need to do anything special for it?"

"Huh?" a surprised Azusa let out, caught off guard she was left without an answer.

Miho just blinked, almost as surprised as the girl opposite of her seemed to be. "For the portrait I mean. Is there any place you want me to sit?"

"Oh, ah, that's what you mean, senpai..." A nervous-sounding laugh came from the younger girl before she began to scratch the back of her head, with her regaining some of her composure it was dawning on her what the older girl had just asked her about. "… There's nothing special you need to do actually, i-it's fine if you stay where you are. Just let me get what I need and we can get started."

"Okay," Miho said, watching as Azusa went to grab the material that she was going to need. Just watching her like this the older of the two girls found herself getting a little curious as to how this portrait was going to turn out to be. Come to think of it, nobody had ever made a portrait of her before, it was an odd sensation. "Azusa-chan. Thank you for asking me. I'm really looking forward to how it's going to turn out, I've never done this before but I'm having fun already."

"Ah… y-you're welcome, senpai." Even if her captain was doing her best not to make the younger girl not feel nervous she was still failing at that, by a considerable margin. For Azusa all of these words of praise were not helping her calm her nerves, in contrast, they were doing a great job of making it worse, her anxiety starting to getting the better of her. _'You're not being fair, senpai.'_

Taking a deep breath, before letting out a deep, exasperated sigh Azusa did her best to calm herself. Her hand placed against her chest she repeated it again several times, doing her best not to let the other girl find out about it.

Grabbing the utensils and paper that she was going to need Azusa got back to her spot at the table and resumed her seat. "Alright, let's do this then, senpai," she said as she placed it all in front of her. "You just need to sit still, senpai. The rest will be up to me."

"I'll be in your care then, Azusa-san."

"… Here goes…"

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways –_ _20_ _._ _1_ _0h Tuesday_

Overseeing the city from up high in her office Anzu's usual carefree attitude had changed to a more sober one, her arms folded behind her back as she kept on gazing through the glass. The reason for the shift in her demeanor was still lying where she had left it, on her desk, a letter.

"I didn't think they'd be this quick to contact us, so what is it that you're after?" she asked herself, pondering about the content of the envelope, "You wouldn't contact us out of the blue, there's got to be a reason for it. So what are you up to this time?"

Apart from her, the office was devoid of people, right now, that suited her best as she needed to think about her response to the letter and the request that she had gotten. It was not that she hadn't expected for such a request to show up on her desk at some point but she had to admit that she was a little surprised by it having appeared now.

"I don't like it," she said underneath her breath before turning around when the sound of the door opening caught her immediate attention. "Ah Koyama, what gives?" she asked when she noticed the brunette with the ponytail coming into the office.

"Actually prez, I wanted to ask you about that," the girl in question said as she hinted at the envelope lying on the desk. "Given who send it to us I'm a little worried. What do you think they want from us? Don't tell me that they've gone back on their word?!"

Shaking her head the diminutive girl filled her in over the nature of the request that they had received, it was nothing like what the brunette was fearing, it was something entirely else.

"But why? Why would they ask for us to have a meeting with them all of a sudden? I don't understand," Yuzu said as she expressed her concerns once more as she was having her reservations about the intents behind the meeting, "Don't you think that it sounds a little strange, prez? A little too suspicious?"

"Nope~," Was Anzu short reply, waving her hand she gestured that there was little for them to worry about at this moment. "Besides, you'd really think that they'd be up to something so soon? Doesn't seem like a smart thing to do."

"… Well, I guess that's true," the taller girl admitted, a somewhat troubled sounding sigh betraying that she was not entirely convinced but for now there was little she could do. And besides that, there was also another matter that needed to be discussed, a rather important one at that. "Also, there's something else I'd like to talk about?" Yuzu said, trying to keep her voice down so as not to let others hear her speak.

"You mean about making the preparations for the next student council? Well, I suppose we should. Feels weird though when I think about, can't believe that it's been three years already."

The brunette gently nodded her head in agreement, letting out a somewhat heavy. "Yeah…"

For them it was a strange sensation, for the past three years they had been performing their duties, and now after these years, it was finally coming to an end for them. It seemed almost surreal but in a couple of months they would resign from their position and hand over the responsibility to a new student council.

"I wonder what it'll be like when we're gone," Anzu remarked, turning around in her chair before looking Yuzu in the eyes, an unmistakable hint of sadness in her eyes before she blinked and it disappeared. "We've done so much for this school, I can only hope whoever it'll be will continue with our work. I want to see this school continue to exist after we're gone."

"I don't think we'll need to worry about that, prez," the brunette said in return, a warm smiling gracing the features of her face. "With everything that we've all done to save this school I don't think it'll go down that easy, not anymore."

Anzu began to smile, taking a certain delight at hearing that answer; it was one that she agreed with wholeheartedly. Their school had been able to make a name for itself, all that would be required of the next student council would be to maintain that name.

"So prez, about making those preparations as we got a little sidetracked. Do you want me to get started on them tomorrow? I think we should be able to get everything ready and set up by the end of next week. Would that be alright with you, prez?"

"Sure," the diminutive girl nodded her head in approval, signaling that it was fine with her. "Let's make this happen, ah I can't wait to see how this is all going to work out for us~," she added to her earlier remark before leaning forward and reaching for the bottom drawer of her desk, pulling from it a bag of her cherished sweet potato snacks.

"I'll be going then, prez, Have a good night," Yuzu said, before making a bow and with that she would take her leave as she had other work that she needed to attend to. Gently turning on the spot she made her way towards the door, leaving the other girl by herself in the office.

Again left to her own devices Anzu's attention shifted back to the letter lying on her desk and to what the exact nature of the request could amount to. "So what will I do with you?"

Raising an eyebrow she pushed herself up from her seat, before leaning forward just enough to reach out and press a button on the screen of the pc in front of her as she had an important call to make.

"Time to find out how what you're planning," she said to herself before selecting one specific number from the contact list, after that she was going to have to wait, hoping that the person she was looking to contact would be available. It did not take long before somebody on the other side answered the phone. "Hey, it's me, we need to talk. Something has come up."

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways –_ _21_ _._ _05_ _h Tuesday_

They had been at it for well over an hour by now, all that time Miho had been sitting still, or at least she had been trying to sit still, which had proven to be harder than she had initially thought it would. Even then, she could not ignore that she was impressed with the commitment that the other girl had displayed.

"Azusa-san, would it be alright if we took a little break?" Miho asked the younger girl, hoping that there would be an opportunity for her to stretch her legs a little as she had been sitting still for so long that her right leg had gone to sleep. "I need to walk for a bit if that's alright with you? I promise that it won't take long."

"Ah sure," Azusa let out in response, her own voice giving away that she was as much in need of a break as Miho was. Having spent that much time sketching and then later refining the lines her hand could use some rest as well, not to mention that her neck was starting to feel a little stiff. "Can I get you something to drink, senpai? I've still got some snacks left that I could get as well if you want? Or, if it's alright with you we can go for a walk, there's a park nearby."

Shaking her head Miho said in return that there would be no need for them to make the walk that long, just a few times up and down the hallway would already suffice to get her leg awake again but she appreciated the offer nevertheless.

"Still I wouldn't mind having a look at your drawing, I haven't seen anything yet so I'm a little curious," Miho said before she would lean forward just a little. "You've been so busy, so I'm kinda wondering what you've been able to draw so far. Can I have a look at it, Azusa-san?"

The younger girl wasted no time and firmly pressed her sketchbook against her chest in an effort to keep it away from the girl opposite of her. "N-No! Y-You can't! I-It's too embarrassing! D-Don't look! D-Don't! I-I-It's not ready! P-Please, senpai?!"

Taken aback by the sudden outburst of the younger girl Miho pulled back her hand and went back a little to create some distance between herself and a nervous looking Azusa, allowing said girl to have some breathing space.

"Ah, I'm sorry if I upset you, Azusa-san. I'm sorry," Miho offered an apology, keeping the tone of her voice gentle. It was starting to dawn on her that she might have been a little too eager to see what the girl in question had drawn. "It's alright if you don't want to show it to me yet. I won't be upset about it."

Still trembling the younger was slowly regaining her composure, after hearing a few more comforting words from the older girl Azusa was starting to feel a little ashamed about her earlier refusal to have shown the drawing.

"A-Ah! I-I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" she cried as she dropped to the floor, the tone of her voice rising up a pitch or two. Letting out a whimpering sound as she did not dare to raise her head for fear of what she might see Azusa was starting to feel terrible, a wave of shame washing over her as the realization sank in with her.

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize to me." Was Miho's response to the sight before her, in her mind the girl had done nothing wrong, and certainly nothing that demanded an apology. "I guess I must've caught you by surprise, didn't I? It's alright if you don't want to show it to me yet because it's not finished. So please, you don't have to apologize to me." Leaning forward just a little Miho stretched out her hand.

"… I-I don't…?" a surprised Azusa gasped in her disbelief as she found herself staring at the outstretched hand held in front of her, and just beyond that, a kind face with caring eyes staring back at her, urging her to accept it. "… I see…"

After that an awkward silence began to settle in between the two girls, that was until Miho made a decision to get up and get a better look at Azusa's room, opting to change the mood by talking about a different topic. "I know I've already said this before but your room is pretty nice, Azusa-san. I really like how you made the most of the space you have."

With her utensils still in front of her, Azusa was just keeping to herself, not really sure what she was going to say after what had happened. She had briefly considered if the other girl wanted something to drink though given that both of their glasses were still, for the most part, full there wasn't really much point to it. _'I never thought I'd be feeling this way, but maybe it'd be better if Nishizumi-senpai were to leave…'_

"What's this?" Miho asked as her eyes came to rest on an unfamiliar looking book, reaching out and grabbing it, she turned it around to have a look at its front page. Once she had a good look at the title Miho found herself having to admit that she was a little surprised by this particular book. "Is this what I think it is? You actually got a book about Hungarian tanks? I didn't know you had one."

"I ehm, I actually wanted to know a little more about what we might get to expect," Azusa said in return as she began to explain her reasons for having the book in her possession. "I know that we already got a good explanation during the briefing but I felt that it might be good if I went and look to see if I could find more."

"Did you?" Skimming through the book a number of post-its had placed next to the image with notes of the vehicle's technical details. It seems that the younger girl had been doing her best to supplement the available information.

The younger girl nodded. "To some degree, I think, there was also some stuff that I found online but I don't understand most of it given that it's written in languages that I don't really understand. I'm already having trouble with English as it is but Hungarian is even worse, nothing of it even looks familiar. I used an online translator for some of the notes but I don't know how accurate they are."

"I know," Miho voiced her agreement, "I know that a lot of the European languages are pretty hard to understand, still I think it's really impressive that you've been able to find more on your own, Azusa-san."

"Thank you."

"I'm really glad to see that you're working hard on your own accord, you're definitely going to need that if you ever want to climb up further in Sensha-Do. I'm really proud of you."

Reaching up with her hand Azusa plucked away a tear that was forming, before giving the other girl a warm smile she said, "… You're really mean senpai."

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways –_ _21_ _._ _35_ _h Tuesday_

Leaning back in her seat Anzu had to admit that she was getting a little intrigued by what she had just been told by the woman on the other side of the screen After she had read the letter the diminutive girl had opted to make use of her connections and had contacted Ami Chōno and filled her in about the contents of the letter addressed to Ooarai's student council, right now the two of them were discussing the matter.

"I was contacted about this a couple of days ago, it seems they were pretty anxious to get my cooperation before contacting you," the older woman mentioned, appearing to take a sense of satisfaction at how things had been going.

Her hand supporting her chin Anzu gave her reply, "I see, so then it would appear that they are not trying to set us up or anything. But then it raises a question, why do you think they're suddenly so eager to arrange a meeting with us?"

Shaking her head the woman made it clear that the reason for the meeting was something that she at this point could not divulge. "I'm afraid that I can't answer that question at this time, I was kindly asked not to leak any of the details but suffice to say they have no ill intentions towards your school."

That gave the twin-tailed girl something to think about, her initial reservations about the letter's content had proven to be unfounded but she still remained in the dark as to the exact purpose of this meeting, and that was something that was annoying her.

"However," Ami said, breaking her silence, "There is something that I feel I should tell you in advance, just so you're prepared for the meeting. You see, your school's recent victory, well there's been some unforeseen side effects to it. The Federation has found itself in a bit of a pinch, so to say, because of it. In short, you people made quite a scene."

What the woman had just said was enough of a cause for Anzu to raise her eyebrows in response, she did find it a little hard to believe but she had no reason not to trust Ami's word. But if it was true what the older woman had just said to her than somehow Ooarai's victory has had another effect other than their school remaining open. But what could that be?

It was an intriguing matter but until she could gather more information it would all remain speculation though a part of her was convinced that some answers were staring her in the face, looking again at the screen she felt confident that the woman on the other side knew more.

"I don't suppose you're willing to tell me more now, are you?" she asked the question, she could already guess what the answer was going to be but she knew that she had to ask. This was a matter that she would like to get resolved as quickly as possible while she was still the president of the student council, it would be wrong to thrust such a burden on the shoulders on the shoulders of the new council.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question, Kadotani-san. Please keep in mind that what I just told you should remain confidential, MEXT does not want this information to get out just yet."

With her curiosity piqued Anzu was struggling to restrain herself from trying to ask again, she was getting anxious to learn more about what exactly was going on but for the time being, for now, she was going to have to take satisfaction with the knowledge that the school was in no imminent danger.

"Is there anything else that we should take into consideration before this meeting?" she asked, keen to make sure that she would be fully prepared for a meeting that was bound to come sooner than later.

"No, I don't see any need for any of you to do that. Anything that you might need is already at your school. Given what they want to discuss with you, I do feel that it would be best if you make sure that Nishizumi-san will be present at the meeting as well."

"I see, thank you for the information," Anzu offered her thanks as it would seem that for the time being they were all set, but that did not take away that they would need to keep a close eye just in case there was to be a sudden change. "I trust you'll keep us informed should anything happen? We'll do what we can on our side but we don't have the connections you do."

The woman on the other side of the screen offered a smile before she said, "Of course, it's only natural that I'll help you in whatever way I can. The success of your school has set an example to all schools who are struggling with Sensha-Do, it's in our best interest as well to make sure that you'll be able to continue the way you have."

"Alrighty then~," she said in a cheerful manner, appearing to be in a good mood as she gave her farewell to the older woman and offered her thanks for all of the information that said woman had provided her with. "I'll be seeing you then again soon, take good care of yourselves."

"Likewise, take good care."

Once the connection, and therefore their little conversation, had come to an end Anzu turned off the monitor as well. Leaning back in her seat the diminutive girl found herself staring at the ceiling as she began to ponder on how she was going to make the most of the knowledge she had just gained. This was going to be a difficult situation, and at the same time, one that had piqued her interest.

"I guess things are going to get a little exciting soon~," she said, smiling as the prospect of what would soon unfold held the promise to be an exhilarating one, there was no telling what the outcome could possibly be but to be a part of that, that was something in itself. "We're definitely going to have to tell Nishizumi-chan about this, well, it can wait until I've gotten a little bit more information. I need to make sure that we've got everything sorted for this one, otherwise, we might get into a little bit of trouble."

Turning around so her gaze would fall upon the city underneath once more Anzu was reminded again as to why it was going to be so important for them to get everything in order, taking in the sight of her cherished school, the many fond memories she had of this place coming to mind, she made a vow to do whatever lied in her power to make this a success. Blinking for a moment Anzu was a little surprised she when felt a tear run down her cheek.

"Guess even I can get a little emotional," she said to herself as she began to smile, deep inside she was feeling a little sad about leaving this place after so many years, but that was just a part of growing up, at some point people were going to have to let go and move on.

"For us, it won't be any different, still I know that we'll be leaving this place in good hands. They love this place as much as we do, no, perhaps even more than we do…" With that knowledge she was confident that the school she had come to cherish for all these years would be left in the right hands, the people that she had in mind for taking over the student council were just the people who would guarantee that.

Feeling that she had spent long enough reminiscing Anzu got up from her seat and made her way towards the door that led to her office, before closing the door she had one last look at her office, a gentle smile caressing the features of her face before she would close the door and lock it. For tonight her duties were over.

"I think I'll treat myself to some sweet dried potato, yeah, that'll be nice~."

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways –_ _9_ _._ _45_ _h Saturday_

"So Miporin, have you heard anything yet?" The ginger-haired girl asked as she appeared next to Miho. "You've been going to her place for the past couple of days, right?"

Their class was just coming to an end, and while Hana had excused herself as she needed to make use of the toilet while Miho and Saori had said that they would wait for her there. After that, the three of them would go to pick up the others before heading towards their usual spot in the tank sheds.

"Ah yes," the other girl said once it dawned on her what her friend was hinting at, apparently she was asking about the work that Azusa had been busy with, the portrait she had drawn of Miho. If the girl wasn't mistaken than today was the day that the younger girl would turn in her work.

"I haven't seen it yet myself so I'm a little curious," she continued, "Still I don't know if it'll be alright for us to go and have a look without letting her know, I'm worried that we might scare her by just showing up."

Saori blinked. "You think? I thought she would've liked it if the rest of the team were to show up and cheer her on. Then again I'd be pretty nervous myself if I were to have to present something like that, I guess a lot of people will be curious given that she was able to draw you, Miporin."

"Really? Why would it make such a difference if she did a portrait of me?" Miho was a little surprised at hearing that, until now she had not really given it any thought. She could not imagine that just because the younger girl had done a portrait of the tankery team's commander that the work itself was going to be any more special. "It'd be really silly, don't you think?"

"Yep," Saori said in return, nodding her head as she gave off the impression that she was in agreement. "It'd definitely be silly, but you know Miporin that you've gotten quite a reputation with some of the teachers here, so you never know."

"Yeah…" Looking at her watch Miho had to admit that she was starting to get a little nervous, her reason for wanting to go to the other classroom was rather simple; she wanted to see for herself how Azusa had done with her assignment.

"Anyway, do you want to wait for Hana to get back? Or do you want to go ahead on your own? It's alright with me if you want to go. I'll wait here and let Hana know."

"Thank you, Saori-san," Miho got up from her seat before thanking the other girl for her understanding. "I'll be going ahead then, please let Hana-san know that I'm sorry."

"No problem, Miporin."

Standing at the doorway Miho had one last look at her friend before she would leave, but as quickly as she gotten ready to leave she was also halted in her stride as she heard something.

"Nishizumi, ah there you are!" The cold voice of a particular person could be heard coming from somewhere up the hallway as Momo Kawashima called her out. "We need to talk."

"Ah Kawashima-senpai," Miho said in response as she caught sight of the older girl who was making her way over, from the expression etched on her face Miho could already deduce that there was something important that the other girl would want to talk to her about. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

"Not at the moment," the monocle-wearing girl answered the question, "I just came to inform you that we've hit a snag with the procurement of the new gun that we've ordered. It seems like there are some delays so we shouldn't expect it to come our way anytime soon. A shame as we really could've used it for the upcoming match. Guess we'll have no choice but to have Rabbit use their tank as is."

"Ah right," the team commander said in return as she heard the news, not that it would really make much of a difference as the increase in penetration wasn't all that big, to begin with. And besides that, Miho was happy that it was now certain that the gun was not going to make it in time as that would mean that there was no need for them to rush the installation of the new weapon. "If it's alright with you Kawashima-senpai, then I'll inform Rabbit about this."

"Sure," the older girl replied, agreeing that it would be better to let the team's commander take care of the matter. "I'll leave it up to you then. Good luck with it, Nishizumi."

Saying their farewells to each other the older of the girls turned on her heels and left, heading in the opposite direction, the report still firmly clenched underneath her arm.

"Wow, I guess that Kawashima-senpai must be in a hurry if she leaves just like that," Saori suggested as she appeared next to Miho, both of them looking on the direction that the other girl had gone, "So I guess that means that we're going to the Rabbits now, are we?"

Miho nodded her head in return. "It's likely for the best if we told them this right away, they're likely going to be a little disappointed at hearing it though."

"Because they won't have the new gun?"

"Yes, when I was talking to Azusa-san yesterday I got the impression that they were all pretty anxious about getting the increase in firepower," was the answer that Miho gave to the earlier question, still it was not going to make a difference for the upcoming match. Rabbit had been able to take out strong opponents before, and as they were not expecting anything as strong as before she was confident that Rabbit was going to be fine this match.

"Anyway, shouldn't you get going, Miporin? Weren't you going to look how Azusa-chan's been doing? Give her my best wishes."

Accepting the girl's advice Miho did once more offer her thanks, and with that, she left in search of the younger girl's classroom.

"Well, "I guess I should head back and let Hana know," Saori said, waving her friend off until she disappeared from her sight, after that she turned in the other direction and began to gradually make her way back to her own classroom.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways – 1_ _0_ _.00h Saturday_

Sitting there in the shade, offered by one of the many trees that lined the square Miho and Azusa had retreated to a more quiet place so that the two of them could talk without making too much of a commotion as it seemed that the commander's sudden appearance in the younger girl's classroom had caused quite the commotion.

"Ah… I'm sorry about that Azusa-san," Miho apologized once more, "I didn't think me showing up in your classroom was going to result in that… happening…"

"It's okay senpai, so what brought you to me?"

Miho smiled. "I came to ask you about how it went with the portrait that you had to submit. Have you heard anything yet from your teacher? To be honest I'm really curious."

"Ah right," Azusa said in a tone that betrayed her nervousness about the whole matter, "… The truth is… I ehm… haven't submitted it yet…" Looking away in an effort to hide her shame and embarrassment, it took her a few moments before she would try and explain.

Sitting there, not saying a word or giving out the impression that she was going to judge the younger girl Miho knew in her heart that now was a moment of patience and understanding. Eventually, she broke her silence and offered a few words of encouragement, "When you're feeling up to it, Azusa-san, I'll listen to what it is that you want to say. Until then, I'll be waiting here for you."

There was a reaction coming from the other girl but sadly it did not seem to be the reaction that Miho had been hoping for, there was likely a very good reason as to why Azusa had not yet submitted her work. Right now it was obvious that the reason for it was hurting the younger girl, enough to the point that Miho was concerned about her.

"You don't have to force yourself, Azusa-san. You can tell me when you're ready."

"… Do you… mean that… senpai…?" she asked without even looking at her, her stuttering, as well as her hand gestures, giving away that she was trying to wipe away her tears. "… You won't get mad at me?"

"Why should I? I'm sure that you've got your reasons for it," Miho said in a calm and gentle tone, there was no apparent reason for anybody to get upset about the girl's decision. "You can trust me, Azusa-san. No matter what, I'll listen to what you have to say."

Turning around Miho could see the tear-stained eyes of the younger girl staring back at her, she had obviously been crying, it was to be expected.

"… You promise… senpai?"

"I do."

Taking a deep breath, before letting it all out Azusa gathered what courage she could muster and said, "… I didn't submit my work because I wasn't happy with it. You came to my place for the past week to let me draw a portrait of you, just for my sake, and I couldn't even make a decent drawing. It was a mess, it didn't look like you, nothing of it felt right. I wanted to impress you, to impress my classmate, even Shiina-sensei but I failed, I failed miserably."

Now it was beginning to become clear to Miho, the girl's reason for not having submitted her work was something that she could fully understand but even so, she felt that it was wrong by not having it submitted it when they had been told to do so.

"So what now, Azusa-san? What are you going to tell your teacher? Don't you think it'll be a little unfair to your classmates if you were allowed extra time for yours?"

"No, but what am I supposed to do?" Azusa asked in return, it was clear that she saw no other way out of this problem. "How could I possibly turn in that awful drawing, I'll just fail the assignment for sure."

"You don't know that. It might be better than you give it credit for. But if you don't turn it in you'll fail it anyway, am I right?"

"Well yeah…"

Leaning forward a little Miho reached out and folded her arms around the younger girl, holding her gently, there was no for her to feel sad about what had happened, even if the drawing had not turned out the way she had hoped that it would that was no reason for not submitting it.

"May I see it? The drawing I mean?"

"B-But it's awful."

"Let me decide that for you, okay?" Miho whispered into the other girl's ear. "Will you let me have a look at it, Azusa-san?

Another sigh answered the request, the younger girl seeming to give in as she asked if the older girl could let go of her as she needed to reach for her bag where Azusa had hidden the drawing. "Just promise me that you won't show it to anybody, senpai."

"I promise," Miho reassured her, she had made the decision for herself that she was going her best to support Azusa in this, and offering a silent prayer that the girl had been smart enough to bring her bag with her, though it was more likely that she did not want anybody to have a look.

Accepting the sketchbook that Azusa had given her, Miho slowly turned the pages as she took in what the girl had drawn so far. Until she reached the final page and also the page that contained the portrait that Azusa had tried to draw, or at least her attempt at drawing one.

"So this is what you drew?" she asked, seeking confirmation from the other girl.

"… Yeah, that's the one…"

Even if Azusa was giving off the impression that this was a failure, Miho could tell that the younger girl had put a lot of effort into it, she had seen it for herself how diligent the girl had been. Even if the paper had been wrinkled, the edge of the sketch rough in certain places, smudges across its surface, there was no doubt in her mind that despite everything Azusa still deserved to be praised for all of her efforts. "You know, I really like this drawing."

"B-But why? It's a failure?"

"Simple, because you drew it. And I can tell how much effort you put into this, even if it's not perfect it's clear to me how you poured everything you got into this drawing. That's enough reason for me to like it." Giving her answer Miho smiled, "But there's one thing that we have to do. We need to give this to your teacher."

"N-No! Y-You can't! Please don't senpai!"

"You have to." Shaking her head Miho was making it clear that for all of its flaws Azusa still had an obligation and that meant handing in the drawing to her teacher.

"I can't!"

"You don't have to do this by yourself if you don't want to. I'll come with you. Regardless of what happens, I'll be there for you."

Standing there, her body trembling, Azusa without knowing what she was supposed to do was still hearing Miho's words echoing in her mind. As reassuring those words were, she could not ignore the doubts that were swirling at the back of her mind. She was scared of what her teacher might have to say. "I don't want to go. I don't want to do this."

"I know you do, but it's going to be alright. I'll be there with you." Getting up from the bench as well, Miho had made her decision to go and accompany the girl to the teacher's room. If they were lucky then perhaps they could find the teacher in question there. "Shall we go then?"

"No, I'll do it on my own…" Azusa whimpered, keeping her head, giving in to the request of the other girl she was aware there would be no going back. she knew from first-hand experience that her commander, on she had made her resolve, would not be deterred. In this case, it would be better to just accept it but she could not bring herself to have the girl she admired share the responsibility of her own mistake.

"Are you sure about that? Don't you want me to go with you?" Miho was surprised by this all of a sudden coming from the girl opposite of her. That said, it also made Miho rather proud of her, for being willing to face her problem on her own. "Will you be alright? You don't have to force yourself."

"… I-I'll be fine. And senpai, thank you for everything," Azusa said before she picked up her bag and said her farewells to Miho, thanking her for having taken the time to listen to her, and for having been so understanding of her plight. There was little that needed to be said.

"Take care of yourself, Azusa-san."

The girl nodded. "You too, senpai. I'll see you than at training. Until then."

Watching the younger girl leave, Miho couldn't help but admit that right now, she was feeling incredibly proud of Azusa, what said girl had decided upon was an act she could rightly take pride in. "Good luck, Azusa-san, you deserve it. I'll be rooting for you."

With that behind her and taking a glance at her watch it became clear that she was going to have to head back to her own class, she would get her chance to learn how it had gone for the younger girl somewhere during today's tankery training. "I should get going as well; the others are waiting for me."

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways – 1_ _9_ _.00h Saturday_

"Alright everybody, listen up!" Momo's shriek could be heard echoing throughout the building as she began to address the assembled members of the tankery team, with the day and thus their training coming to an end there were still a few matters that needed to be given some attention.

"First of all, thank you very much for your efforts today! Second, we're having our match against Tarczay Academy tomorrow. Make sure that all of you are present tomorrow morning at the train station by 07.00 hours! We will load up the tanks on railcars and depart by 08.00 hours."

There were some muttered responses coming from the assembled crews but other than that nobody seemed to object to the appointed time. Well, with the obvious exception of one individual in particular.

"Egh," Mako protested, expressing her disdain for having to get up early on a Sunday. This was not to her liking at all. Her remark prompting a collective sigh from the other four girls that made up Anglerfish, all of them could already see the writing on the wall so to speak.

"I think that we'll have to offer some assistance to Reizei-dono tomorrow morning," Yukari pointed out, as it was becoming obvious that a contingency plan would be in order.

"I had hoped that by now she would've gotten used to it."

"Now, now, Saori-san. We could say the same about you and your… well, you know." Hana was only too keen to remind her friend. But she would not divulge any of the details, no she gave preference to just giving the ginger-haired girl a little tease, taking quite a delight in watching said girl squirm.

"Isuzu-dono, what are you talking about?"

Hana looked, feigning innocence. "What do you mean Yukari-san? Is there something wrong?"

"Ah no, it's nothing. Never mind," Yukari said in return as she opted to not press any further as there was something odd about the normally graceful gunner, in this case, it was becoming obvious that discretion would be the better part of valor here.

"I swear, Hana. One day, I'll get you for this," Saori was mumbling underneath her breath, although she had been beating at this point, she did make a promise to herself that she would exact some measure of revenge against the tall girl next to her someday.

Not paying that much attention to the bickering that seemed to go back and forth between her friends Miho was instead paying more attention to another girl to her far right. Ever since her private talk with Azusa, she had been curious how the younger girl was doing but with her standing there she was under the impression that said girl was doing apparently better.

' _I'm glad to see you're feeling better. I hope that you were able to go and talk to your teacher._ _H_ _opefully, it all worked out for you.'_ She made a quick mental note to go see her later this night, or if that wasn't going to be possible to give her a call at least.

"Alright then! Everybody is dismissed! Make sure you get your vehicles prepared for tomorrow's transport! All major maintenance needs to be taken care of today! Get to it!"

The students arrayed here snapped to the attention, made a bow and said in unison, "Thank you for your effort!"

With that out of the way came the signal for the arrayed student to break ranks and head over towards their respective vehicles in order to get everything in order for the transport by rail tomorrow.

Watching as Azusa, along with her crew, were making their way over towards the familiar form of the M3 Lee the team's commander was smiling. Briefly, she found herself wondering if it would be alright for her to go and have a talk right now, but then she dismissed that notion. Feeling that it would be too soon, and anyway, Rabbit's thought and focus were on getting their vehicle prepared for tomorrow morning. It gave them a sense of purpose, something that they could focus their attention on, that was important.

' _I'll go and talk to her after we're done, it'll be better that way.'_ Satisfied with her own decision and what she was seeing Miho made the decision to go back to her own crew, much like the other team, they too still had some chores left that they needed to finish. "I guess I should get going as well, I can't let the others do all of the work," she said to herself, smiling as she did before she spun on her heels and gradually made her way to the pleasant company of her four friends who were waiting for her.

"Nishizumi-dono, did anything happen?"

"Huh." Miho was surprised, curious why her friend was asking that. "What makes you think anything happened, Yukari-san?"

The messy-haired brunette got up from the tank and said, "Well, kinda because you're smiling all of a sudden. I thought that maybe something good has happened."

Miho was unaware that she had been smiling to the point that one of her friends had noticed it though, to be honest, there was definitely something that had happened to give her reason to smile, another reason to be proud of a certain girl.

"Well, I guess you could say that it did," Miho said with a satisfied smile on her face. Yeah, there definitely was a good reason to explain the joy and happiness she was experiencing at the moment.

"Ah right. Can I ask what it is?"

Shaking her head Miho was feeling a little teasy all of a sudden as she said, "It's a secret." Before giving a little wink as she did.

* * *

 _Ooarai school carrier – school hallways – 07.50h Sunday_

Sitting on the train that would carry them to their destination, the crews of Ooarai's tankery team was making the most of the brief respite they had, some of them taking advantage by catching up on some much-needed rest while others engaged in various activities.

Looking over towards the other side, where a group of six girls was perched on their seats, Miho took a certain delight seeing that one of them, in particular, appeared to be in high spirits. Just to see that expression on her face was enough reason for her to feel that the effort she had taken last night to have been worth it. _'I'm really glad to know that she's already feeling better, I hope that she'll have a good match so she can feel proud of herself again.'_

After the match was over and they had gotten back to the ship she would go and pay the younger girl a visit, she would also bring along some of the snacks that Azusa had shown her. _'I think she'd like that, something to celebrate though I can imagine that hew crewmates will likely already take her away for some celebrating of their own.'_ If that the case, and there was a good chance that it was then there would be little reason for her to go as well.

' _I'm really glad that I have her a call last night_ _. Seeing her like this she_ _'s definitely feeling a lot better._ _'_

Lost in her own thoughts the quiet girl had remained unaware of the fact that one girl, in particular, had been doing her level best in order to get her attention. That was until said girl decided to opt the volume a little.

"Hey, Miporin! Do you think we're going to be okay?" Saori asked as she turned away from the diminutive girl whose head was resting on her lap. "We don't know anything about this school besides the tanks that we think they might use."

With her head leaning against the side Miho was still gazing at the ever-changing landscape outside, upon hearing her friend's question she looked away from it and turned her head to address said girl's question. "I think we're going to be fine, and besides this is just a practice match, it's not like we're going to be in a competitive match."

"Miho-san does have a point," Hana chimed in, gently closing the book that until then she had been reading, "Even if we don't know what they'll be using against us, I don't think we have anything to worry about. Also, I think it'll be a little more exciting this way."

"But still…" the ginger-haired girl protested before she let out a sigh as she realized that her friends had a point, there was little reason for any of them to worry about this match. "I guess you're right. Still, I would feel a lot better if we knew what we could expect from them. Ah well…"

Every now and then a soft snore interrupted their little talk, the driver of their tank giving no impression that she was going to wake up anytime soon.

"Mako-san looks like she's happy," the graceful gunner remarked at the sight of the other girl moving just enough so she was comfortable again.

Keeping to herself, Yukari was fully immersed in her own line of thought as she kept going through the messages that were appearing on her screen. That was until a familiar voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"So Yukari-san," Miho said, speaking the words gently so as not to startle the fluffy-haired brunette as she had gotten the impression that her friend had been preoccupied with something important. "How are you feeling about this match, are you still disappointed that I didn't let you go out on one of your reconnaissance missions? You've been rather quiet."

She had a long talk about this with the brunette a few days ago, as this was more of a friendly match and not one tied to a competition Miho had felt that there was no reason for her friend to go out on a risky trip.

"Ah no… well yeah, actually I am, Nishizumi-dono. It's just that I was well… you know…" Yukari answered in return, tumbling over the words as she sought to give an explanation for her absence from the talk that had been going on. "… I was just… doing some research…"

"Huh, what kind of research," Saori asked, being the first one to react, "Don't tell me that you're trying to find out what the other team is going to use, are you? Isn't it a little too late for that now? I mean the match starts in a couple of hours."

"Ah no, no, no," the other girl was quick to say in return, waving her hands frantically to emphasize her words. "I wasn't, I was looking for any info on something else."

Miho raised her eyebrows. "Oh, about what then?"

Seeing the curious look in her friends' eyes Yukari took a deep breath before folding down the screen of her laptop. "You all still remember what I said a few weeks ago when we were having hotcakes at Reizei-dono's place?"

"You did?" Saori remarked, a puzzled look in her eyes that gave away that she could not recall the conversation they had back then. "… I'm kinda sorry, Yukarin. But I can't remember it…"

Hana made a similar remark. "I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I sadly can't recall what it was about. I'm terribly sorry about that, Yukari-san."

Letting out a short sigh which gave away her disappointment about the fact that her friends could no longer remember, Yukari turned towards her idol, hoping that the girl in question would at least still be able to remember what it was that they had briefly talked about. "… N-Nishizumi-dono?"

"Let me think…" Miho said in response, noticing the somewhat anxious look her friend was giving her. "I think it was about an exchange program between various Sensha-Do organizations, am I right?"

"Yes!" Yukari beamed, and in response, she opened her laptop again and showed her friends what it was that she had been preoccupied with. "It's true that that is a variety of exchange programs running between various countries when it comes to Sensha-Do. But it's not just in our country, there's also between individual schools as Saunders, for instance, has several active exchanges programs running with a number of schools in the United States."

"Makes sense," Saori remarked, making a comment that added very little.

Scraping her throat before she would continue after that unneeded interruption Yukari picked up where she had left. "As I was saying, there is a pretty big exchange program between our country and the continent of Europe; it's one that is on a biennial basis, which means once every two years."

"Oh, I remember that," Hana said as she raised her hand, "You mentioned this before, am I right? I believe you had said back then that the previous turn a team from Japan had gone to Europe so this time a team from Europe would come to our country, did I get that right?"

Nodding her head Yukari confirmed it, "Yes, this year a team from the European competition will attend various leagues in Japan but I don't know which ones. They haven't brought out any details, which is why I've joined several online groups that have been working hard to find information and report their findings."

Going to a page Yukari clicked on a photo to enlarge it before showing it to her friends. "This ship you see here arrived in the port of Yokohama about a week ago, people have already been able to identify it as belonging to the UETA which means that this is likely the ship that'll bring the team from Europe over."

The other girls, minus Mako, were all staring at the screen but for the life of them they could not really see what Yukari was going on about, sure they could make out a ship but the image wasn't good enough for them to get any of the details. The only thing that they could say for certain was that the ship in question, although nowhere near as massive as the school ships, it was without a doubt a very large ship.

"I don't know," Saori said, her eyebrows rose, "Can you even say for certain that this ship is carrying them? I mean what if it is just bringing stuff here, and besides won't it all be over the news if a team from Europe were to arrive? We haven't heard anything in the last week."

"Saori-san has a point; if such a team were to have arrived than shouldn't we have heard about it?" Hana raised her hand as she presented a question of her own, much like her friend she too was having some doubts about this topic. "It's not that I doubt you, Yukari-san, but it's just that maybe the people on that group have gotten it wrong."

Letting out a sigh the fluffy-haired girl turned down the screen of her laptop and said, "Well, I can't deny that they haven't been wrong before. And you're right, Isuzu-dono, it's a little weird that we haven't heard anything about it as it is normally big news."

"So I guess it might be better to let it rest for now," Miho commented, seeing as there wasn't all that much left to discuss with regards to this topic, and besides that, she wasn't really all that concerned with it anyway. From her own experience, she knew that in general the teams that were sent over often consisted of college or university students so it was not like any of them would ever come to face such an opponent.

' _Still, with what onee-chan told me, I wonder what it would be like to meet such a team, would they have the same approach to Sensha-Do as we do, or would they treat it differently. Maybe it would be best if weren't going to across such an opponent.'_

Talking about a team from Europe brought another memory to Miho. _'Ah that's right, Emi-san is also from Europe, given that she went back to doing Sensha-Do in Germany she might also be eligible to participate in the exchange program. I wonder if she might be part of the team coming to Japan. I'd be great if I could see her again. I'd really like that.'_

Turning her attention back to the world outside, the gathering of dark clouds up ahead caught her attention, seeing it with her own eyes was giving Miho an ominous feeling. Something about this upcoming match just didn't sit well with her.

* * *

 **Author's note** : Well, the latest chapter for you to read.

As for an explanation for the long time that's between the previous chapter and this one, well, to be blunt and short, two reasons.

First, I was really, really, not in the mood for writing the raw version, let alone editing and all that in order to make a chapter readable as I simply did not feel, and I still feel that way, that all of the energy and time spent on it are worth the effort. I did not really enjoy writing this chapter and I feel that this is a weak chapter, something I would much rather dumb in the trash than post it.

Second, I have been making a lot of overtime at work, in no small part due to the gross incompetence of my boss to recognize the shit situation that he created himself by doing stupid stuff that caused seasoned, and experienced, employees to quit. For most of us that stayed our workload basically doubled, as did our overtime which left me, for the most part, exhausted when I got back home. What scant spare time I had left was something I wanted to spend on fun things to relax and ease my mind rather than sit down and write.

In more enjoyable and somewhat uplifting news, and an apology in advance as these author's notes might get a little long in the tooth because of this.

Another edition of Militracks has come and gone, this was a great one even though I felt that it was simply far too crowded. From some talks I had with the staff there, it seems that they were in agreement as well and that it was an issue that they would look into for next year.

Highlight of this year was the presence of the Tiger II, kindly lent by the tank museum in Saumur and I happened to have been able to score a ticket for being allowed a ride in it, a short ride as in 50m forwards and then 50m backwards I should add, but it was a ride in a Tiger II nonetheless. A really unique experience as you climb on top of this beast and the people from Saumur were really nice to talk with.

Another highlight for me was that I ran into Mr. Hilary Doyle, a name that if you have an interest in German tanks of WWII should sound familiar to you. I personally own a lot of his book as well as those from Jentz. Now, Mr. Doyle was there as a guest and I had a brief conversation with the good man, sadly I had not thought about letting him sign my newest book so I only have myself to blame.

Tankfest 2018 was a superb weekend, we had tickets for the full 3 days of the event and that meant that we were able to enjoy it to our heart's desire.

It wasn't as crowded on Friday so we were able to get to see everything inside both the Vehicle Conservation Centre and the main museum itself, if you've been to Bovington than I don't have to tell you at just how awesome this museum is for anybody with an interest in tanks. Near the end of the first day I stumbled into my first stroke of luck as purely by accident I actually met Quickybaby, a YouTuber who posts mainly about WoT, and his wife Tanya, we had a short talk for a couple of minutes before we each went our own separate ways.

The Saturday went off to a great start that only got better from there on. First up was a meet and greet with none other than the glorious and supreme Gnome Overlord of the salt mines, the Mighty Jingles, I greeted both him and Rita, shook their hands and presented Jingles with a prized gift from my country. Now as I am from the Netherlands there is one delicacy that I am almost obligated to bring with me, and for those of you who listen to his talks, you'll know that there is one delicacy from my country that Jingles absolutely loves, our famous stroopwafels. Oh that ear to ear grin on his face as he saw them, it was priceless.

As I left the hall where the meet and greet was taking place I had a stroke of luck that was simply unbelievable as standing at the exit where none other than Squire, David Fletcher, and Nicholas Moran. Now Squire is another YouTuber much like Jingles though he comes from the War Thunder community, Mr. Fletcher is a renowned historian with regards to British tanks and if you watch any of the tank chats that the Tank museum regularly puts up on their YouTube channel then you know who he is.

Mr. Moran is also a gentleman who should be rather well known to some of you, if you play WoT, watch his YouTube channel, or have one had a good look at the end credits of der Film than you should have a pretty good idea who he is. If not, go watch his channel The_Chieftain now! Really nice guy, and as luck would have it in that I had a copy of his book Can Openers (by luck this had arrived the day before I left for the UK) which he was only too happy to sign for me. Had a brief chat with him before we each had to go our separate ways.

Outside I had a quick brief chat, in rather broken French, with the fine gentlemen of the Saumur tank museum who had brought along their recently restored Char B-1bis and during the talk I was offered the rare opportunity to have a peek inside while the good man explained to me the inner workings of the machine.

Had an unexpected run-in with Jon, the infamous Welderbeast as he had brought along his trusty StuG, even though he did not recognize me at first we had a good talk and Jon kindly offered me to have a look inside his Marder III Ausf. M. Lovely restoration even if it is not yet entirely finished.

Rest of the event was what you could expect, and if you've been there this year than I really don't need to say anymore. Otherwise, go and check the multitude of videos that people have put up and see for yourselves what makes Tankfest such a great event.

Now as for the big question, when will the next chapter be posted? Only thing I can say for certain at this point is, don't expect too much, don't expect it anytime soon, it'll save you some disappointment.


End file.
